Unexpected Changes
by kussensloopx
Summary: After she inherited a mansion that serves as a base of operations for the Assassin Order, Vitoria decides to uncover the secrets of her family. She indirectly gets thrown into the middle of a war she did not know existed, in a land where Athenian democracy should be a thing, but isn't.
1. Prologue

**Hi!**

**Really awesome you clicked on this story, I am really curious what people might think of it because there is no Assassin of the games involved (some get mentioned). Only my own characters appear. So yeah. That.**

**Uhm... yeah. If some of you came for a history lesson I have to disappoint you. I made this all up lolz. Also, I kind of know how this story will go, so, that. Oh and I am curious if you guys like it - so if you do I will continue. If not... I will probably continue anyway. x] I have this thing going on where I am writing every night before bed, if I am not too tired. **

**It takes place in Greece around 1500. **

**My native language is not English, so I apologize in advance for mistakes that have yet to come. **

**Reviews are always welcome. **

**Have a good one and enjoy!**

**I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

* * *

The air felt stuffy as the sun shone fiercely down on the dusty ground of Athens. Vitoria, a young woman, was making her way towards the suburbs of the city. In her hands she held a simple basket filled with food. The market had been standing on the plaza, as it did every week, and she was asked to get some food with the money her father had earned.

Vitoria wiped away a drop of sweat that was making its way down her forehead. The heat was killing her, lately. She was already aware of the fact that she wouldn't sleep well tonight. Her father probably wouldn't either.

The woman walked into the street where filthy people were sitting on the ground against their wooden front doors, some of them were even enjoying the sun. She greeted them as she walked by because she knew them. She had been living in the poorest part of Athens for most of her life.

A little further on the road she was walking on, a few decent houses were left. She lived in one of them. They were mostly made of wood, though.

The young woman opened up the front door to a small room where coats were hanging and shoes neatly placed. They didn't have a lot of coats nor shoes so it was a little empty.

"I'm home!" she chirped while – without even looking into the living room – entering the small hallway that was decorated with paintings. It were paintings of daily places like the court of justice in Athens. The majestic building covered almost the whole painting. At the bottom y a couple of heads, walking in any direction, could be seen. She was told that it was just a normal day in Athens. That's what her father liked about it and, therefore, bought it. This was way back when he still had the money to buy such luxury.

His favourite was a painting painted years ago. On the left side a tree with soft pink leaves could be seen. Behind the tree there was a lake and on the lake floated a simple wooden boat. A woman and a little girl were sitting on it. The woman smiled while the girl curiously had bent over the edge so that her tiny fingers could reach the water.

Vitoria remembered that day. She had only been four years old. Her father had wanted a painting of _the two he most loved_ (that, of course, was also the name of the painting). It had been a sunny day and she hadn't been able to sit still for a second, to the annoyance of the painter. Her father had told her that it was worth it. And now, it was. It was the only image of her mother they had left. Due to that painting she remembered her mother's face.

The woman moved on and placed the basket on the kitchen counter. She started to put the things she bought in the right places.

"I am glad you're home. I'd like you to meet someone."

Vitoria heard the sound of heavy boots walking through the hallway and the sound seemed familiar to her. It reminded her of the men of the City Watch.

She turned around to see her father, a man with a serious but friendly face and a trimmed beard. He was wearing simple clothes – not the fancy ones he had to wear to his work. The men next to him was an inch taller than her father. He was wearing plate armour. He had a sword established onto his belt, a red tabard with the symbol of the King – a griffin lined with Gold Dust, a rare type of cloth. He had brown eyes, a nose that was a little too big for his face and a wide mouth. The man looked older than her father. He had no scars on his face, but he did have a rough skin.

The man smiled and looked, overall, friendly.

"This is Arastoo Bronte, head of the City Watch. Arastoo, this is Vitoria. My daughter." Her father gave the two a glance.

"Nice to meet you, Vitoria." The man bowed before her to show her some respect. Important men did that to noble women. She didn't consider herself noble.

She smiled, kind of, not knowing what else to do. "Likewise, sir." Vitoria looked lost and her father noticed.

"Arastoo and I grew up in the same neighbourhood. He is a friend." He explained with a rich voice and Vitoria thanked him, without saying a word, for the explanation.

She glanced back towards Arastoo. "Well, I presume it must have been hard growing up with my father."

The man burst out in a hearty laugh while her father looked betrayed. "Finally, someone who understands the struggle." He got a poke from her father and Vitoria saw for the first time in many years the child-side of her father.

"Aren't we all getting along with each other. Nice. Didn't you have to go somewhere, Arastoo?" Her father gave the man an expectant glance and Arastoo chuckled.

"I did, Nicon," he said quasi-oblivious. His brown eyes darted towards her and he winked. "Goodbye, Vitoria."

Vitoria nodded and watched as the two walked down the hallway. Arastoo patted her father on the shoulder and waited a moment while Nicon rushed back into the living room to get something.

Vitoria was about to turn around, but got a glimpse of the thing her father gave to Arastoo. It was a sealed envelope. She wondered what was inside while her father said his goodbyes to Arastoo. Then she accepted it was her father's business and not hers. She acquiesced.

The woman put the last few things in place while her father closed the door.

Nicon was a man of honesty and equality. He had the right morals but the wrong job. Her father was one of the King's counsellors and always complaining about the man. Her father was known for his behaviour towards the King. Well, it was only one incident a long time ago where he spoke his mind – and his mind hadn't been kind towards the King. The King wanted to raise taxes and her father knew that this wasn't going to make the people happy (a lot of them were already poor). Also, the change wasn't necessary. Not for Greece's sake. For the King's sake, surely, and the noble men of Greece. But not Greece. So her father told the King the truth – which the King could've hanged him for. Her father, though, had done good things for the King and Greece in the past, so he wasn't executed. The King told him after he had spoke his mind: _"If you like the citizens that much, you would, surely, pay these taxes."_

So he did. And he was still doing this. For some reason, they didn't have a lot of money in the first place. And with those taxes they could barely make it through a week. But they managed. The King, however, didn't forget the words her father had spoken. Even though her father had done all these good things, the King didn't like him. This was reflected in his salary. But her father didn't care about the money. He cared about Greece. And its people. He wouldn't let the other counsellors, and the King himself, get to him. Without him, Greece would be ruled by a bunch of moneygrubbers.

"You know, I was thinking about getting a job," she said serious, still facing the kitchen counter. She heard her father stopping abruptly in his steps.

"Excuse me?" He wasn't a fan of Vitoria working. Actually, they had this conversation countless of times. She wanted to help out and for some reason he didn't want that.

He walked over to her.

"Yes. I was thinking, maybe I could work in that brothel. Sophia says it's really fancy and a good payment." Vitoria turned around to face her father who had a shocked expression on his face. She tried not to laugh, but she couldn't hold it in. His face was too darn funny.

When Nicon realized it was a joke, he was relieved. "You had me there," he said, closing his eyes for a second to let it all sink in.

"I'm surprised you fell for it. You're a counsellor, aren't you supposed to be good in detecting lies?" She quirked a brow.

"Well, we're better in spreading lies than detecting them. But, for what it's worth, you are a good liar. I believed you." They walked towards the small living room which consisted of a dinner table and two not-so comfortable couches. They sat at the table. A lot of papers were placed on it and Nicon shoved them away.

"You should go and see Sophia tomorrow, she's probably wondering where you've hid yourself for the past weeks."

Vitoria smiled at the thought of her friend. Sophia was about the same age as Vitoria, but her life was much more complicated. She was working – for a couple of years now – at Anastasia's House of Pleasure, a fancy brothel located in the heart of Athens. The only reason she was doing that was because of the money. After the death of her father, she felt like she had to take care of her mother and brother.

"Yes. I should. Tomorrow I will visit her."

* * *

_Alvar_

With his arms crossed he watched the streets of Athens. He was standing on a rooftop, just observing the crowd. Behind him lay a guard of the City Watch, knocked out and not even close to consciousness. The Assassin wasn't assigned to do anything. His Mentor had taught him it was sometimes best to just observe how the citizens reacted, how they spent their days. It was important to know these things when he did get assigned a task.

"You really knocked the shit out of this guy huh, Alvar?" A voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Ion Patron, a fellow Assassin and considered friend.

"You know, Ion, I was doing something here," he said with a sigh.

Ion walked over to his friend and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. His eyes were covered by his hood, but his smile was visible. "I know. Standing is really important. I just wanted to make conversation, mate."

Alvar brushed with his left hand the fingers of his friend off. "Dryas and Leon aren't here, too, I hope?" He gazed questioningly towards the Assassin with the brown/red Assassin uniform.

Ion shook his head. "Nah, they were searching for food."

Alvar's eyes drifted back to the citizens who were still walking and shoving each other out of the way. Some were sitting against houses, others weren't in such a hurry. He took it all in. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" he replied.

The Assassin took in a deep breath and finally turned to Ion. "I'm heading back."

He walked over the rooftop and jumped down in an alley. He disappeared in the crowds. Alvar made sure that the City Watch didn't notice him. The base of operations for the Assassin Order was located on an isolated hill in Athens. It looked like a big, white mansion and it was a big, white mansion. As if someone could live in it. But the backyard was transformed into a trainings ground. So they could practice combat in the trainings ring without anyone noticing. A library was located in the mansion as well. Of course, the main thing was to do what the Mentor said, obey him, listen to him and learn from him. When he asked you to do something, you did it without question.

From afar the mansion already caught Alvar's eye. The citizens of Athens didn't bother to look around anymore, they didn't give a damn what was happening in that mansion, who lived in that mansion. They were afraid of the City Watch. Afraid that they might have done something wrong in the eyes of the king. That was the reason why no one stuck their noses in other people's business – it was fear that held everyone in their place.

The mansion was a gigantic, white building with pillars. It was standing on a hill, isolated from the other houses of Athens.

Alvar walked up the hill. The ground was dusty and dry. The sun shone fierce and he felt his skin almost burn. It was a really beautiful and old building with a lot of secrets. The man turned around to see the city laying beneath him, peacefully.

The entrance doors were major and white, accented with gold lines. Alvar entered and in front of him appeared a new pair of doors that lead to the library. If he looked right, the hallway he was standing in lead to a winding stairs made of stone and a door, located next to the steps, that lead to the kitchen. If he looked left, the hallway lead to a various of doors which were chambers of Assassins. The hallway took a right turn eventually.

He went left and walked past the chambers. Some of the doors were open, most of them weren't. He went outside, into the backyard, and immediately the sound of swords parrying each other could be heard. Assassins were training in the trainings ring, they were doing push ups on the ground, or were assassinating training dummies.

Then you had the two men who were sitting on the rooftop of the guesthouse (the guesthouse only consisted of more chambers for Assassins), eating. One Assassin was wearing a black uniform, the other one was wearing a brown/dark blue uniform.

Dryas Xanthos and Leon Lethos.

Alvar sighed upon the sight and walked until he was standing quite near (almost under) the two men. "It is quite a nice day. Why aren't you doing something meaningful?" He quirked a brow even though that wasn't visible due to the shadow caused by his hood.

Leon, the man with a stubble beard and the dark blue uniform, was the first who looked down and noticed him. "We are doing something meaningful. We are making sure that we do not starve to death," he replied matter-of-factly while taking another bite of the fruit he was eating.

"You would be surprised how many citizens of Athens die of starvation. Most of them in the suburbs," Dryas mumbled between bites.

Alvar sighed again, not willing to say one more thing about it. He knew better than to stand between Dryas and his food. That was akin to a death wish.

"Oh, Alvar..." Dryas called after him as he walked away to do something meaningful. "Adonai wanted to see you."

Alvar held up two fingers to let his friend know he heard him while he adjusted his path towards the mansion, not looking back once.

Adonai, the Mentor, was most of the time retreated in the library. But he, too, could be found on the rooftops of Athens.

The Assassin was back in the hallway, standing in front of the doors that lead to the library. The doors were mostly made of wood, metal and gold. He inhaled deeply before entering.


	2. The Snake

**Hey guyz!**

**Back again. A little chappie ready to serve. I promise you, soon the shit will happen. Don't worry. :}**

**Thanks for favoriting and/or following this story - you are the best. **

**Daphne101: Of course I remember you. We're from the same country. And you notice a lot of things, which is a good thing. I changed that as soon as you pointed it out to me - it probably will take a while before she is out of my system lolz. That sounds weird. And thank you. =D**

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

In all honesty, Athens wasn't the most beautiful city to live in. It smelled and one didn't even want to be outside after rain had drowned the city. There were beggars on, almost, every street corner and their stagnant pools of filth laid in various alleyways scattered throughout the city. The men of the City Watch used to scare them off. But after learning that the beggars returned no matter what, the City Watch just made sure they weren't in the way.

Vitoria's footsteps echoed softly as she walked on the cobblestone streets. She was wearing a red gown that tipped the ground. It was an inexpensive, simple gown. The rough clothing was an evident example for that. Over her gown she wore a black cloak which billowed behind her.

She was thinking of Sophia. Her friend had told her that she was mostly working over night – which was kind of predictable – so she should be home at the moment.

Sophia was a really pretty, young woman. She had dark blonde hair and a slim figure. Their houses were only an hour apart – which wasn't that long.

Vitoria entered a quiet street with a lot of houses. The houses were really small and packed. Sophia lived in the corner house which didn't stand out _at all_ – except for being the corner house.

The woman knocked three times on the wooden front door and waited patiently. She could hear noises coming from the other side of the door. Then the door swung open and she stared into two very familiar green eyes.

"Vitoria!" Sophia exclaimed surprised and immediately wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her in a tight embrace. "Where have you been?"

As much as Vitoria wanted to answer that question, it had to wait. "I'm trying to live here," she wheezed and Sophia lowered her arms in an instant to let her friend catch her breath.

"Sorry," she muttered sheepishly. Her face was graced with her pretty smile and then she looked at her friend from head to toe. "Wow, you look like a goddess! Did you meet someone new?" Her eyebrows wiggled while she let Vitoria into her house, closing the door behind her.

Vitoria shook her head while eyeing Sophia. "No."

Sophia wasn't done with taunting her friend and stepped up her game. "Maybe you got back together with that one guy. What was his name again? The one who proposed to you?"

"He did not propose to me," Vitoria mumbled promptly – maybe a little _too_ promptly. Sophia didn't notice, fortunately. "His name was Evando and no, I am not back together with him. In fact, I haven't seen him after we broke up. And that is considered a good thing."

The two women moved their selves from the small hallway towards the small living room which consisted of a wooden table, a couple of cabinets and a kitchen. Cushions placed on the ground served as chairs. The wooden table was on purpose so low to the ground. For some reason, Vitoria always liked Sophia's house. It was cosy.

"Hm. Too bad. He was kind, handsome and rich. The perfect man who wanted you! If only a man wanted me like that..." Sophia helped Vitoria by taking her cloak off and placed it gently on the table.

Vitoria rolled her eyes at her words. "I believe every man wants you in this city."

"But not like that, Vitoria." Both of the women knew they were entering dangerous territory. It depended on the mood they were in. Sometimes they could talk about Sophia's work and sometimes they couldn't.

"Where are your mother and brother?" Vitoria said quickly in an attempt to change the subject.

"They went out to buy dinner for tonight," Sophia replied simply. "Would you like something to drink?"

Vitoria shook her head and ran a hand through her long, dark brown hair. "No, thank you."

The two friends gave each other a glance.

"Do you remember the day when I told you for the first time about my work?" Sophia's face was graced with a smile, so she seemed to be in a good mood. Vitoria was also in a good mood.

"I do." Vitoria giggled. "I remember the anger I felt inside."

Sophia was now laughing too. "Yes! I, too, remember that. I thought you were going to hurt someone badly after that."

"I think I was planning on doing that, too. Luckily my father knew how to get me calm again." Vitoria smiled as she recalled her memories of that day. Her father had been talking to her for over an hour to get her calm. But, what could one do when a friend sold her body for money? Now, though, she could handle that fact much better.

Sophia was still chuckling while she wrapped an arm around her friend and pulled her close.

"I am so glad you came to visit me," she whispered in Vitoria's ear and hugged her tightly.

* * *

Beads of sweat came pouring down his body as Alvar pushed himself up and down. He had done both arms separately and together. His arms were throbbing with the exertion. He was panting and he doubted that he could continue much longer. He had been doing this exercise for over an hour.

"Take a break, Alvar. It seems to me like you need one." Ion sat down on the edge of the fountain that was located in the big garden of the mansion while he held up Alvar's water skin.

Alvar eased himself back onto his knees and took the water skin from his friend. He put the rim of the skin to his lips and gulped down the refreshing water. When his thirst was satisfied he sat down next to Ion on the edge of the fountain – which, moreover, was working. He cupped his hand and splashed some water over his bare chest.

"Did you get a new assignment from Adonai the other day?" Ion asked in curiosity while tossing his friend a face cloth to clean himself up.

Alvar shook his head. "No, I did not." He wanted to say something else but their conversation got interrupted by loud voices.

Two men slowly moved into sight as their conversation reached Alvar's ears.

"I swear to you, Lazar. If you say one more word..."

"And then what? What are you going to do about it, Dryas?"

Alvar and Ion didn't have to take long to know where this was going. Lazar was a sly man with a venomous tongue. He knew all too well how to get anyone out of his shell. And Dryas had a temper.

"I have warned you, little snake. Get. Lost." Dryas was incredibly mad. His face was slowly turning red because of it, his words were spat out of his throat and his fists were clenched. The man was ready to strike Lazar.

"Hey!" Ion yelled while walking over towards the two and picking the side of Dryas. "You heard the man, Lazar. Get lost."

The Snake – as many called him – cocked his head a little in amusement. "Ion Patron. The good guy. Always helping those in need."

"I am not in need of help," Dryas growled and pushed his friend to the side, glowering at Lazar. And then he said to the Snake: "One more word and you will lose what makes you a man."

"Don't bother, Dryas."

The low voice came from behind Lazar and the Snake narrowed his eyes. He took a step to the side so that he had the three men in his view.

"Alvar. I heard you didn't get assigned a task. What a shame. I believe Adonai finally came to his senses and let the real Assassins do the work." A smile was creeping onto his face – a smile all three of them wanted to smack off.

Alvar, though, wasn't bothered by his comment. "Sure, Lazar. And I believe you are referring to yourself as a _real_ Assassin?"

The Snake didn't get the time to answer Alvar because Leon interrupted.

"Are you _really_ calling yourself a _real_ Assassin, Lazar? That is disappointing – even from you. Do you even _realize_ how wrong that sentence is? Have you ever considered to think about your words before speaking them out loud? It surely would help you a lot in the future otherwise you constantly will look stupid, just like you're looking stupid right now." Leon hadn't even caught the whole conversation – he just heard the words and to whom Alvar had spoken them. That was all too get the words rolling.

Lazar was now the one who seemed to be annoyed. He glowered at Leon, probably killing the man in his head.

"Leave," Alvar pressed the man. Lazar gave everyone one final glare before turning on his heels and walking away – four against one wasn't fair anyway.

"You want to tell us why you let him get to your head?" Alvar turned around to face his friend when he had watched Lazar walking away. Dryas was the broadest of the four but couldn't restrain himself.

Dryas shrugged, seeming to relax a little. "He was talking about my sister," the man spat. He was getting angry again when he thought about it.

Alvar was glaring at the ground, his hands placed on his hips, thinking about that. It wasn't the first time Lazar mocked Elene Xanthos. She was a courtesan in Anastasia's House of Pleasure and Lazar seemed to hate every courtesan in Greece. So that included Dryas' sister.

"One day we will punch him for every word he said. That day, however, is not today, my friend," Ion patted Dryas on the shoulder and Dryas just groaned in reply.

Alvar turned around, walking back towards the fountain where he had left his clothing to cover up his bare chest and his water skin. He threw his clothing over his shoulder and took another sip of the refreshing water, watching the training grounds closely. Two Assassins were fighting each other in the trainings ring. Some were sitting at the table in front of the guesthouse. Others were training their muscles. Lazar, however, was nowhere to be seen.

The man turned back around and strolled over to his friends.


	3. Farewell

**Yooooo guys!**

**I am atm soooo tired because I just came back from a concert. But I just wanted to post this one, y'know? Shit happens in this one.**

**The Forgotten Reader: Hehe x] I know right. But I love to write those because it's so fun. I can say the story is something else entirely. My mind can go craaaazyy at times, this story is created in one of those moments. lolz. And yes, you are correct, Vitoria and Alvar are the main characters. ^^ Aaaaaaaaaaaand, noo. It's not a history lesson, lolz. It's completely made up, fictional etc. I believe was a that time overrun (or something like that) by the Ottoman Empire. I think. And thank you for the kind words, my friend.**

**MrJaffaJack: Hey you =D. Damn. That's so messed up. RIP your Brotherhood. Glad to hear this cheered you up. However, I don't believe this chapter will cheer you up lolz. **

**Soooo. If anyone was wondering how I suddenly came up with this- I was inspired by Assassin's Creed: Unity. When that game is out, imma play that so hard like it's nobody's business. **

**Have a good one and enjoy.**

* * *

Vitoria was walking steadily over the cobblestone streets of Athens. Sophia and she had talked over well past dinner time, she even talked to her brother and mother for awhile. But Sophia had to work and Vitoria had to return home to her father. It was already getting dark.

When she was near her home, the sound of heavy boots stamping on the cobblestone ground echoed through the street she was walking in. She didn't know why – maybe it was because it was dark outside – but she sprinted in the nearest alley. She pulled the hood up from her black cloak and waited until the four armoured men had passed the alley she was hiding in. Vitoria was a little surprised when the men didn't appear to be men of the City Watch. It had sounded like men of the City Watch but the armour told her otherwise.

She frowned, giving the men a final glance before hurrying in the direction of her house. Her father probably knew who they were – he knew almost everything.

Vitoria knocked on her door before realizing it was already open. Her heart started to hammer in her chest when she saw that the door was _forced_ open. The woman pushed the door open a little further and entered without making a single sound. Her eyes scanned the small room and noticed immediately that the ones who forced the front door open, also made a mess of everything. Things were lying on the ground, some paintings in the hallway were broken in half. Had they ransacked her home?

Accidentally, she stepped on something that seemed to make a loud noise through the entire house. Holding her breath – and cursing at herself for being so imprudent – she listened for movement. Nothing moved, but there was a sound coming from the bedroom of her father. It was akin to coughing.

"Father?" she finally dared to ask out loud. There was no answer – she didn't need an answer. Vitoria was already making her way towards the bedroom door of her father, opening it. She let out a cry when the room revealed itself to her.

Her father was lying on the floor, next to his bed. Blood was covering his clothing, the floor and various pieces of furniture which indicated that he had a fight before _this_ happened.

Before Vitoria realized it, her feet had already carried her towards her father. She fell down next to him on her knees, grabbing his hand with one hand while the other started to examine the wound. It was more a gaping hole than a wound. Even a fool could know that this was fatal.

"Vitoria?" Her father's voice was so soft, so _tiny_. It made her cry in an instant. She had never seen or heard her father _this_ weak, _this_ fragile, _this_ breakable.

"I'm here," she muttered almost inaudible. The lump in her throat made sure she couldn't pronounce a word – she couldn't swallow.

Nicon's hand squeezed weakly in hers while his blue eyes found hers. He tried to hide the pained expression, but he failed. "Go back... to Sophia. You are not safe here."

Vitoria frowned hopelessly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "No. I am not leaving you here to die. I am not doing that. We can fix this- I can fix this."

"Vitoria..." Her father closed his eyes for a moment. A silence fell between them. Her father seemed so calm compared to Vitoria. She was trembling.

"I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark... But, you need to go now. I already lost too much blood."

"But,"

"Vitoria." For only a moment his voice held the same strength as usual, his eyes staring directly in hers. For just a moment he was his normal self again. Then he sighed, exhaling his normal self with it. "I love you very much but you need to go. Remember this: Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Trust them..." He closed his eyes again. "Now, go."

"I am not ready."

"Go. Now."

Vitoria slowly rose to her feet. A horrified expression was written across her face while she looked down on her dying father. Their eyes met for one last time.

"Go," he whispered and despite every fiber of her being wanted to stay with him, holding his hand as his fire slowly died down, she obeyed him. Maybe it was too dangerous to stay in her home or maybe he didn't want her to watch him die. Vitoria did not know. She did know that the cold struck her like lightning once she made it outside.

Instead of running away towards Sophia, she was frozen to the ground in front of her own house. Her heart told her to get back inside, but her mind was telling her to listen to her father. _Leave him behind, there's nothing you can do for him anymore._

She was stuck between her heart and mind, and that was why she didn't move a muscle. She in tears and panicking, not fully realizing what was going on, yet vaguely progressing everything at once. _What was she supposed to do here?_

Apparently, life decided before she could make up her mind. From around the corner, four men – the same men from before who she had mistaken for men of the City Watch – came walking down the street. When they noticed her unmoving figure in front of her house, they started to run towards her.

Vitoria had no idea if they were the ones who stabbed her father in his own home, or why they were running in her direction, but her gut told her to flee. She started to run in the opposite direction of the men. Their boots were echoing loudly in the quiet streets. The adrenaline was pumping through her body, her mind was racing as she thought about a way to lose them. The woman made a sharp turn towards the right, the hood of her cloak falling down in the process and she almost tripped over her own feet. Then she made another sharp turn towards the left. Her breath came in ragged strokes as she heard the heavy boots of the men coming closer. Praying to every god she knew, she made another turn and suddenly it seemed as if someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an alley.

Startled and panting, she looked into the alley which consisted of a pile of crates and darkness. Nothing interesting was in it. Then her mind started to work again and the sound of pounding boots was extremely close.

Vitoria threw herself against the wall as the four men passed the alley without looking her way. She let out a trembling breath she didn't realize she had been holding, her eyes looking up at the dark sky filled with stars.

"Thank you," she muttered almost inaudible. She slowly sank to the ground while the sound of her heartbeat and the tears streaming down her face were the only things she was aware of. It was tempting to break down in this magical alley that saved her life, but the voice of her father told her not to. She had to find her friend- she had to find Sophia...

... and Sophia was at work.

Vitoria tried to swallow the lump in her throat, stood from the ground and then pushed herself off the wall. She made sure that the coast was clear and then ran in the opposite direction of the men.

As she neared the centre of the city, the streets became more noisy. Pubs were still open, drunken citizens strolled the streets or were snoring on plazas. Anastasia's House of Pleasure stood on its own in the centre of Athens. It was a large building with roses (and other flowers she could not name) climbing the walls and Bordeaux red material lining the edges of the roof, making it a building impossible to overlook. One had to climb two steps towards the two deep inset mahogany doors before one could enter the brothel.

Luckily, Vitoria didn't have to enter the brothel for a courtesan was standing on the courtyard, probably trying to lure men in or maybe she just wanted to get some fresh air.

When Vitoria neared the brothel, the strong smell of perfume hung heavily in the air around the building.

The woman inhaled deeply and steadied her thoughts, hoping she didn't look like a mess, as she neared the courtesan with beautiful black hair.

"What do you want?" the woman asked, moving her head upwards so that she could look down on Vitoria.

Vitoria tried not to be distracted by the courtesan's breasts that were almost popping out of her dress and said as friendly as she could manage: "I need to speak to Sophia."

"She is busy," she replied bluntly. Her eyes studying Vitoria from head to toe.

Vitoria tried to ignore her tone. "Yes. But when she is done, can you tell her that I have urgent news to tell her?"

"What is your name?"

For some reason, Vitoria felt small in the presence of the courtesan. The woman seemed so mature and female-ish. "Vitoria."

The courtesan narrowed her eyes, searching her memory for a Vitoria. Then, she studied her again, but this time her eyes didn't leave her face. She noticed the red colour on the cheeks, the sad expression in her eyes and decided Vitoria wasn't the enemy. "I will see what I can do for you, Vitoria."

Vitoria thanked her quietly and the courtesan climbed the two steps, entering the brothel. Now, she was alone, standing in the courtyard of a brothel in the middle of a crazy night.

It took Sophia two whole hours to get outside. And when she finally was, she walked around the courtyard, whispering the name of her friend – and finding her; shoulders slumped, facing the ground with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks on a bench in front of the brothel.

"Vitoria!" Sophia sat down beside her, her arms wrapping around her best friend and pulling her close. "What has happened?"

"My father..." she squeaked, not being able to say more than that.

Sophia's hands gently lifted her friend off her so that she could look in the blue eyes of Vitoria. "What happened to your father, Vitoria?" Her voice sounded demanding yet friendly at the same time.

"He is dead."

Sophia's expression was thoroughly appropriate. It was utterly surprised, then it changed to sorrow and finally she pulled her friend towards her, in a tight embrace. She had no words for her friend for she knew what this meant. Nicon had been the only relative of Vitoria.

"You are not alone Vitoria Terian," Sophia whispered strongly into her ear. "I will always be here. Don't you worry about anything, I will take care of you. You can stay with me, my mother and brother as long as you like, okay?" She gently rubbed Vitoria's back as she felt the tears sliding down her own neck.

She hugged her friend even more tighter than before.

* * *

Alvar made his way back towards the mansion, pushing the doors open towards the hallway and then pushing the double doors open towards the library. They opened with a tremendous screech, and as he stepped into the room, the floor board he placed his foot on squeaked. It was clear that no one could sneak up on anyone in the library.

He was a little out of breath and hadn't thought his actions through. His Mentor wasn't one for uninvited visitors. Almost every time Alvar had entered the library, he found Adonai reading a book.

This time was different.

Adonai wasn't sitting at his desk or anywhere near a book or bookcase. He was nowhere to be found.

"Mentor?" Alvar questioned, his breath had steadied and his eyes peered through the library from under his hood.

"I am here, Alvar." The voice came from the upper floor where only more bookcases were placed.

Alvar walked up the stairs, his hand placed on the balustrade. He found his Mentor with hands clasped behind his back, staring out of the enormous window that looked down on the training grounds. The Assassin had no idea in which mood Adonai was right now.

"I am very sorry to disturb you, Master, but I have news from the suburbs of Athens." Alvar waited patiently until he was permitted to speak.

However, Adonai did not say anything, he did not gave him permission to speak. For a long time the two just stood, unmoving. One was glaring at one's back while the other looked down onto his pride. It took a great deal of patience to not disturb the silence and for a moment Alvar was considering to repeat his words – maybe his Mentor had not heard him the first time.

Then, Adonai let out a breath. He turned around to face his pupil, his dark eyes studying Alvar carefully. "I already know."

Alvar was confused. "Master?.."

"Bad news travels faster than lightning, Alvar. The death of Nicon weighs heavily on me." He blinked and his eyes glared back to Alvar. "That was the news you came to tell me, was it not?"

Alvar nodded quietly, letting his eyes linger on the floor boards were his Mentor was standing on. "I do not understand, Master. Nicon wasn't loved by the king, but he surely wouldn't murder his counsellor?"

Adonai inhaled deeply, letting the words sink in. "Maybe it wasn't the king who murdered him. Anyway, I need to think things through, Alvar. Can you close the door on your way out?"

Alvar bowed his head in respect to the head master of the Brotherhood. "As you wish, Master." He then turned around and walked down the stairs.


	4. The Vasco Bank

**Hello!**

**Back again, whoohoo. So this chapter is a thing. **

**MrJaffaJack: Well I am a playstation player. So, that. But thank you for offering anywayz. And yes. They really, really should hook up. Aaaaaaaand that is not a problem. I am very laid back with that kind of stuff. =] btw, I am planning on updating this story as soon as possible. It's so fun to write it. **

**mpowers045: It is around 1500 AD (around the time Ezio is working his butt off in Italy). Aaaand everyting you read is made up. :]**

**The Forgotten Reader: Because I am the most evil person you will meet on the planet and I like to kill every character off when given the chance. Just kidding, I am not ****_that_**** evil. ^^**

**So with that said, have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

By thinking that Sophia's house was cosy, Vitoria didn't mean that she wanted to see it more often. Now, she saw the house every time she opened her eyes. Not that she was complaining about it – no she was grateful that Sophia's family wanted to have her like the mess she was. But she wished the circumstances were different.

The death of her father had pulled her down completely. She couldn't be more lost in a world she knew than she was right now. She didn't know what to do or how to move on without her father. He made the money, he took care of things, he knew everything. Without him, she was just another lost woman, walking the streets of Athens, trying to find a purpose.

It had been three days after the worst night of her life. Those three days she had cried her heart out. She didn't eat, sleep or went outside for three days. Sometimes Sophia tried to comfort her, but it was impossible. She felt hollow while her father seemed to return to her head as soon as he left it. She was restless as her father's eyes seemed to haunt her everywhere. The idea that she could have saved him floated in her mind, pressing onto her shoulders and making her heart ache in sorrow. His death had been too sudden.

On the fourth day the words her father had spoken to her came crashing down and she decided to find out what they meant. Starting with questioning Sophia.

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Does that say anything to you?" Vitoria was standing with her hands on her hips, glancing questioningly at her friend who shrugged.

"Not really. Why?" Sophia took another bite out of her apple.

Vitoria shrugged helplessly. "My father said that to me. He told me to trust _them_. How can I trust _them _if _they_ are a bunch of words? I don't understand."

Sophia was frowning which meant that she was thinking _hard_. "Nothing is true and everything is permitted. It sounds a bit... _odd_. I mean, what does _everything_ even mean. Like stealing-an-apple-from-the-market _everything _or..."

"Killing a person?"

The two women gave each other a glance.

"Your father would never hurt someone, well, verbally he most definitely would, but not something that could make a man this angry. He was the kindest and wisest man I have ever met. And I meet a lot of men." Sophia winked and Vitoria rolled her eyes. She was about to say something else when a knock on the door startled both women.

Sophia rose to her feet (she had been sitting on one of the cushions on the floor) and strolled casually towards the front door. Vitoria watching her carefully.

"Hello?"

Vitoria couldn't see who was at the door, although she could hear a deep male's voice saying something to Sophia. She crossed her arms. Her gaze had lowered itself towards the floor while she felt the exhaustion washing over her.

"Yes. She is here. Would you like to speak to her?"

Vitoria's eyes narrowed and darted towards the hallway as she waited until Sophia came back to the living room, a crooked smile on her face.

"It is for you," she mumbled.

"Who is it?"

"He introduced himself as Arastoo Bronte."

While Sophia took another bite off her apple, Vitoria walked over to the front door. A deep frown was engraved in her forehead. Arastoo Bronte was the man her father introduced her to the day before his death. What did he want?

Arastoo Bronte was wearing the same armour as he had been wearing when she first met him. His expression, however, wasn't in the slightest playful as it had been when she first met him. It was sorrow. When his eyes met her own, he even seemed apologetic.

"Vitoria," he muttered softly. "As soon as I heard the news, I was desperate to find you. I cannot describe in words how truly sorry I am for your loss." He bowed his head ever so slightly to show her his respect.

"I am sorry too. He was your friend, was he not?" Vitoria cocked her head a little as she looked into the mourning eyes of Arastoo, biting her lip in the progress and trying not to let the tears spill that started to form in the corners of her eyes. He had bags under his eyes which was an indication of lack of sleep. He, too, had been struggling with this news.

Arastoo nodded and then said: "It is good to see you are safe here. But I did not come only to pay my respects. Nicon gave me an envelope when I visited him last time. In the envelope was written to whom he bequeathed his possessions."

Vitoria shrugged. "I am guessing that would be the house."

Arastoo opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to make up his mind and swallowed the words again. He finally managed to say: "Not quite. I am not sure if you will believe me if I told you, so I am offering you to let me show it to you."

She deepened her frown – if that was even possible – and gave the man a wary glance. She didn't know the man. Her father seemed to trust the man before he died, but she didn't grow up with this man. She had no idea who he was. Then again, he was head of the City Watch – which was kind of a big deal – and he was talking about her father's will!

"I swear to you, madam. No harm will come your way." He seemed confident of this.

"Alright," she muttered a little withdrawn, "where do we need to go?"

"The Vasco Bank."

"The bank of the king?" she asked surprised. Only people of noble birth had access – and enough money – to that bank. This was absurd. Was this some kind of dream?

"Like I said before, I can only show it to you."

Vitoria nodded. "Okay. Let me just get my cloak." She walked back through the hallway – grabbing her black cloak as she did so – and put it on in the living where Sophia quirked a brow at her actions.

"Going somewhere?.."

Vitoria nodded. "Yes. It seems that my father left some possessions behind. I'll tell you the full story when I get back." She turned around, already walking back towards the front door.

"I have to work early today!" Sophia yelled behind her.

"Then I will tell you it tomorrow!" Vitoria shouted back over her shoulder. She closed the door behind her and walked next to Arastoo while they made their way towards the centre of Athens.

The Great Plaza – as everyone referred to it as – was true to its name. It was the largest plaza of Athens and the most important one. The Vasco Bank was located at the Great Plaza, but the Court of Justice was also here where the king spent most of his days. On the plaza itself was usually some sort of market. The only time when the market wasn't there was when the gallows were used.

Vitoria looked up at the ropes, slightly swinging in the breeze. A cold shiver ran down her spine. She felt sick by looking at it already.

Arastoo noticed her expression and glared, too, towards the gallows. "It is placed next to the biggest market of Athens to strike fear in people's hearts."

She gave the head of the City Watch a disgusted look. She didn't say something to him, though. Fear was not the answer to control the people of Athens. Sooner or later someone with authority would see that surely.

Arastoo lead her to one of the majestic buildings that was standing on the Great Plaza: the Vasco Bank. The building, with three steps to climb, golden double doors, white pillars, golden text that said _Vasco Bank_ and two guards armed with large swords, was breathtaking. The whole plaza – except for the gallows, beggars and poor children running around – was breathtaking. The Court of Justice looked similar but it was larger and it had a balcony that looked down on the gallows. Sometimes the king stood on it, speaking to the people while three men were hanged. _Nauseating_.

The guards saluted Arastoo as he strolled by them with Vitoria right behind him. The inside of the Vasco Bank was very luxurious, the people were too. Guards were standing on every corner of the building, while men and women dressed in the most expensive clothes Vitoria had ever seen walked by, talking or laughing, wearing extremely over-the-top hats and what not. She did not fit in at all with her filthy black cloak. At the far end of the wall she saw white-coloured stairs going towards the upper floor. There were various hallways beginning in this room, leading towards God knows what.

She took one step, entering the building, and immediately stepping on a red and golden-accented carpet that covered almost the whole floor.

"Wait here," Arastoo murmured and walked over towards a man who seemed to work in this place.

In the meantime, a couple of noble birth walked passed Vitoria, giving her the most contemptuous glare she had ever received in her life. Vitoria just stared blankly back. Her mind was spinning while she tried to relax – which wasn't working at all. Her head was telling her to turn around and leave this ridiculous rich building. But she couldn't. She was here because of her father. So she had to hold her ground and just go with it.

After what felt like ages, Arastoo returned with a man who, hopefully, knew the way in this maze.

"He is going to lead you to the vault of your father. I will remain here..."

"Wait, you're not coming with me?" she interrupted the man, feeling a little shocked.

Arastoo's eyes showed compassion. "I thought it was better for you to go alone. But if you want, I can come with you."

Vitoria nodded. He was the only man she, sort of, knew in this place. She didn't want to be completely lost and, besides, he already knew what was inside the vault. The vault... Her father had a vault. She didn't know anyone with a vault at the Vasco Bank. This was all too darn confusing. Maybe her father had meant this when he had apologized for keeping her in the dark.

Arastoo told the man he was coming with them whereupon the man nodded and lead the way towards a hallway. They passed a couple of closed doors, turning left and right as they went until Vitoria was completely disoriented and didn't know which way was the right way to go back.

"The king made this bank a maze to let people get lost. It is harder for burglars or thieves to steal something this way," Arastoo whispered to Vitoria, who seemed impressed.

They took another turn towards the right and suddenly, at the end of the hallway, two guards were guarding a simple door. They saluted Arastoo and gave her glance while the man opened the door with a key.

Behind the door a spacious room appeared, consisting of three vaults. The one in the middle was hers.

Four different keys were needed to open the fairly, large vault and when the vault opened with a soft _thunk,_ the man bowed his head respectfully.

"I will be right outside this door when you are done." Then, he left. Closing the door behind him.

Vitoria just stared in bewilderment at the vault. Her heart was pounding really loud and her hands were sweaty; she was nervous. For some reason she was nervous to open it. What secrets did her father hide from her? What was going on?

A hand was placed on her shoulder and Arastoo gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay."

She then started to walk further into the room, her eyes never straying from the vault. She inhaled deeply and then touched the cool metal, pulling the door open and revealing what was inside.

If Arastoo hadn't been in the room, she would've screamed. Loud.

"This... This cannot be," she stuttered, eyes wide in shock while staring into the vault. Her mind went blank. She was at a loss of words.

Golden coins. A _mountain_ of golden coins, three times her length and two times her width (it just barely fitted in the vault), had revealed itself. There was almost no room to step into the vault and walk (not that the vault was _that_ big). The golden coins were everywhere. This couldn't be just her father's money. This must have been collected over hundreds of years.

"I don't understand... I have been poor for most of my life." For the first time her eyes broke away from the mountain of money and looked at Arastoo, who was standing next to her.

"Well. The only thing he told me was that nobody knew of his... wealth. _Your_ wealth," the head of the City Watch replied softly. "And this is not all he possessed."

Her eyes grew even more wider. "There is more?!" she exclaimed.

Arastoo nodded. "Are you familiar with the white mansion on top of the hill, just outside the centre of Athens?"

She thought about that, her lips pressed in a firm line as she did so. Yes, she had seen the mansion once, or twice. Vitoria nodded, looking suspiciously back at Arastoo.

"It is yours."

Her mouth fell open. She didn't care that she wasn't behaving like a lady, she was too flabbergasted for that. "So now I own two houses and a pile of money. What am I supposed to do with all this money?"

He quirked a brow, considering his words. "Your father believed in a lot of things. I admired him for his honesty towards everyone, even when it could have killed him. If you must spend the money... Spend it on something in which he believed in and fought for."

Vitoria pursed her lips trying to register all this, and think. Her father believed in equality – he believed in freedom. He had been a counsellor for the king to help the citizens of Athens...

She nodded slowly. "Thank you, Arastoo. For everything, so far."

The man chuckled warmly. "My pleasure, Vitoria. I will give you the keys to the mansion, it came with the envelope." He walked towards the door, telling the man that they were done whereupon the man closed the vault with the four different keys.

Vitoria, however, was too lost in her thoughts to even care about the fact that the man had every key right on his first try.

_Father, why haven't you said something?_


	5. The Assassins

**Hey guys!**

**Finally they meet. And that's all I'm saying. Aaaaand you may have noticed the new description-thingy. Yeah, probably going to change a couple of times, I'm not really happy with it. But it'll do. For now. ^^**

**The Forgotten Reader: hahahah. You are right though, she ain't like that. And yes, I wanted them to meet too. That is so fun to write. =D**

**MrJaffaJack: Well I dunno. Maybe you have the power to slap me through my monitor? Can't be too careful enough these days... And yeah, it was/is night here too. Whoohoo, I'm off to sleep. **

**So have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

It took her an awful lot of time to get rid of Arastoo. He insisted on bringing her to the mansion – which she held the keys to – but she didn't want him to come with her. She had told him this was something she needed to do all by herself. Even though the man didn't agree with it, he understood. So he had bowed his head respectfully and left her alone.

She had been walking through the city, searching for the hill with the mansion placed on it. She was glad that Arastoo had given her some direction, so it didn't take long to find it. The large, white building caught everyone's eye as soon as it came into view. The dusty and dry (slightly) winding road ended where the mansion began. Four steps lead to some sort of platform where four pillars were supporting the Greek-built building. Vitoria imagined a cobblestone road lined with rosebushes as she slowly walked up the hill. The walls were made of limestone and marble; the roof tiles were made of terracotta.

From afar the woman could see the double doors were accented with gold. Then, for some reason, she stood still in front of the mansion. It was an old mansion, beautiful and... for some reason something was wrong. Her gut told her that. She didn't know whether it were the closed curtains or the people behind her, but she felt watched. Her father never did anything with this mansion, never visited or anything so why didn't it look like it was abandoned. Why did it look like someone was living in it?

Her answer came quicker than she had anticipated. Before she even realized what was happening, she felt two strong hands on both of her shoulders, pushing her with a tremendous amount of strength towards the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs.

"What are you doing here?" A low, deep voice hissed angrily.

Vitoria dared to peek an eye open, (she had no memory of closing them) and was greeted by two very intelligent, yet very penetrating dark golden orbs, shining in the shadow of a white cowl. The tip of the man's nose and his mouth were visible as well. She dared to look past his face and realized he was pinning her down to the ground with his really _fit_ body. Never had she seen someone that fit – even the men of the City Watch weren't this fit (and if they were, their bodies were always hiding behind armour, so she wouldn't know). Of course, the two daggers that were fastened onto his belt, was the main thing she noticed.

Her heart was hammering in her chest because of the sudden movements. She was considering her words carefully for one of the man's hands was holding a cool, sharp metal against her throat – ready to cut her artery.

"I live here," she managed to get out, praying that those were the right words to say.

They weren't. The man got angrier with her because of those words. "Lies. I hope you have said a proper goodbye to your relatives because..."

"No! Wait!" She moved the key, that had gotten all warm and sweaty in her hand due to the man's threats, holding it up so that the man could see – and hopefully react positive to – it. "I have the key of this mansion. Please."

The man stayed his blade, glaring at the key and then glaring back towards Vitoria.

"Who are you?" he demanded in a monotone voice, his lips were pressed in a firm line (Vitoria got the idea this man didn't smile a lot).

"Vitoria Terian." Her wide eyes staring directly back into his, while he studied her for a long time. Then, he rose to his feet, taking the key out of her hands.

Vitoria was about to do the same when the man grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly to her feet. She stumbled as the hooded man pulled her with him towards her supposed house. They climbed the stairs together and waited in front of the double doors.

"If this doesn't fit..."

"... you will kill me. Yes, I get it," she mumbled, hoping her words weren't too rude.

The hooded man, however, didn't give her another glance. He stuck the key in the keyhole and turned.

A satisfying _click _could be heard as the door unlocked.

Vitoria let out a relieved breath. _One more day to live. _Then she realized that they hadn't made a 'deal' – not that one could name something a deal when the other has a knife pressed onto one's throat – when the door opened. What was going to happen now?

Her eyes darted back towards the man's face. For a moment she was staring at the hooded man's strong jaw, wondering how (and why) on earth this man was as fit as he was. Then her eyes darted back towards the key which was still resting in the keyhole. The hooded man seemed to weigh his options.

Then he pushed the doors open, pulling Vitoria with him – who got a glimpse of a hallway with a couple of decorations and a lot of doors. The hooded man walked on, pushing another set of doors – who were just as beautiful as the previous ones – that revealed a large library. The floor boards squeaked under her weight.

A man who was sitting at a mahogany desk, reading a book, didn't even look up at the odd pair. He was dressed similar as the hooded man, in some kind of white uniform – or robe. He looked older, the man at the desk. He was about her father's age. The hooded man, on the other hand, was a little older than her.

"Master," the hooded man bowed his head ever so slightly to show the older man respect.

Vitoria gave him a confused look, not knowing what to do. Did she have to do it too? Who addressed a person with 'master' anyway? Servants did that kind of thing. Wait, maybe the man was a servant?

She dared to look in the way of the hooded man.

He didn't look like one. Servants didn't wear swords or blades that came out of their wrists – they didn't wear weapons. What was going on in here?

"Alvar, what is it this time?" The man closed his book and finally looked up, realizing that it wasn't just Alvar who was standing in the library. He quirked a brow, glancing over towards Vitoria and then back to Alvar.

"She has the key to our base, Master." The hooded man – Alvar – showed his Master the key he had taken from her.

_Hold on a second, did he say base? _

Even more confused than before, she stared towards the older man who didn't seem shocked or mad in the slightest bit. To be honest, he seemed relaxed.

"Her name?"

"Vitoria Terian."

Seriously though, she was standing right there with them in the same room. She could handle such questions as name, age and birthplace.

"Alright. Alvar, leave us." The man stood from his chair, walked around his desk and leaned against it while he waited until Alvar had given him the key, bowed his head and disappeared through the doors, closing them behind him.

Now Vitoria was alone with a man she did not know in her supposed house that, for some reason, was already taken by some group that looked – to her – like thieves or something akin to that. Why were they in a mansion her father left her?

She was about to say something, then changed her mind and gazed towards the floor. Again, she tried to say something, but again, she changed her mind. Finally, she looked up towards the man – who seemed to be patiently waiting until she had ordered her thoughts – and said: "Who are you?"

"My name is Adonai," he replied simply.

Vitoria pursed her lips. Her mind was a complete mess. "What are you doing in here?"

"I cannot answer that question yet."

Vitoria ran a hand through her hair, frowning. What was up with this guy? Why was he talking the way he did? In secrets? Why did she not understand? She sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hand, trying to sooth her throbbing head. She had one hell of a story to tell to Sophia when she got back. If she got back.

"I do not understand what is going on at the moment," she muttered, quite truthfully.

"I know."

Vitoria blinked. She studied the man, his dark eyes, his short hair, his intimidating appearance. The only person that connected her and the man was her father. He left her this mansion. But why did he have a mansion this big in his possession and lived in the suburbs? Why was this man in his mansion? And why did she not know this?

"You knew my father," she stated. The woman cocked her head warily. Her father didn't really have friends – besides Arastoo. He never told her about his past, his family or friends. He told her about people he knew – and most of them he despised.

Adonai nodded. "Yes. I am very sorry he died."

She crossed her arms, glaring at the man. "How did you know my father?"

"He used to live here until he moved to the suburbs."

Vitoria thought about this for a moment. So her father moved from this mansion towards the suburbs? Who did something like that?

"Why?"

The man sighed a long, heavily sigh. He wasn't annoyed by her ignorance. But she couldn't place the sigh correctly.

"I cannot tell you."

Vitoria blinked, pursing her lips together. Her eyes were still studying the man warily – she didn't fail to notice the knives attached to his belt or that he had the same odd mechanism the previous man had on his wrists.

"That man... Can you tell me why he is here?"

Adonai moistened his lips. "He is one of my pupils."

Pupils? "So, more people live here?" She couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or not.

"Yes. I can show you if you like."

Again, she gave him a wary look before nodding. He then led her up the stairs to the upper floor where only more bookcases could be found. She glanced down towards the library doors, sighing once more, before following Adonai towards an enormous window. Rays of sunlight fell through the clear glass, accenting bookcases in a warm setting. The man clasped his hands behind his back as he waited patiently until she was standing near the window. She was even more confused than before – and before that (if that was possible).

Men were fighting each other in some sort of trainings ring, or were performing push ups, others were throwing knives on training dummies, or were relaxing. Some didn't even wear a shirt. Most of them who did, were all wearing the robes. They looked similar, yet little details kept them apart. But they were all armed with the blade-wrists (for lack of a better name) and they were all very fit.

The backyard of her mansion was a trainings ground. How great.

She couldn't decide whether this was heaven or hell.

"I cannot kick you out of my house, can I?" she muttered, her eyes still remained on her backyard. There was even a guesthouse. So many people were living here, how could she kick so many people out?

"It is your house. You can do as you please." His eyes studied her expressions.

She rolled her eyes. _Darn_ _it_. She had enough money to buy another house, but she didn't want to buy another house. She didn't want to spend the money on something she already possessed. She certainly didn't want to go back to her old home. There was no way she was staying in a house where her father was murdered. And her father gave _her _this house for a reason.

"I still don't understand any of this. Why are your pupils training? For what?"

Now it was time for Adonai to take a deep breath, gazing her intently. "We call ourselves Assassins. We work in the dark, to serve the light. We believe in a Creed that consists of three tenets: Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent. Hide in plain sight, be one with the crowd. Never compromise the Brotherhood."

Vitoria tried to wipe her mind clean and make place for this information. "Alright... And for what purpose are you fighting?"

"The freedom for the individual. We fight for freedom, justice and peace."

_Freedom, of course. _Her father, too, had fought for freedom. The pieces were slowly falling into place. "So, you fight for freedom, justice and peace. And, I suppose, you are trying to achieve this with... assassinating people? Aren't you contradicting yourselves?"

"You are very observant." Adonai did not move a muscle. "Yes. We have three ironies in our Creed, if you must know. We seek to promote peace, but commit murder. We seek to open the minds of men, but require obedience to rules. We seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet practice it ourselves."

Vitoria pursed her lips, a bad habit when she was deep in thought. "And against whom are you fighting?"

"The Order of the Knights Templar. The Templars seek to create a perfect world, although their interpretation thereof – emphasizing purpose, order and control, over the freedom of individuals – directly contrasts the ideals of us."

Vitoria ran a hand through her hair, trying to process all this information. Her gaze had slowly fallen towards the floor, her back turned towards the window. She glanced through the room, looking at the bookcases filled with old books. She was really trying to understand any of this.

Adonai noticed her lost expression and for a moment his eyes held a warm spark before turning cold and serious again. "Your father let us stay here when we were in need of a roof and four walls. I believe you are in need of one of those as well. If you decide to stay here, we will not be in your way."

She doubted if that was possible. "You are okay with me staying here?" she asked, still warily about everything.

"I believe I am the one who has to ask that question," he said steadily. Adonai quirked a brow.

Vitoria was nodding before she even realized it. She was the owner of this mansion. The man, Adonai, the Assassin- whatever they called him in here – was right. She was the one who had to decide.

Frowning, she stared at the floor while thinking her options through when the sound of the screeching doors could be heard.

Someone took four steps into the library and a male's voice asked out loud: "Master?"

Vitoria's eyes glanced up towards Adonai who made a silent gesture that it would only take a moment. He then moved passed her, towards the guardrail so that he could look down on the library and the man.

Vitoria could picture a man bowing his head, just like the other man did, towards Adonai.

"Ah," Adonai mumbled, completely forgetting that she was standing in the same room (or maybe acting like he was forgetting her presence) and walked down the stairs. "I assume you were successful?"

Vitoria turned around to look down on the training grounds as she eavesdropped the conversation.

"I was, Master. The deed is done." The reply came. Vitoria could hear that this man – just like the previous one – was respectful towards Adonai. He was really their leader and teacher.

"Complications?"

"None. I followed the Creed. For nothing is true..."

"... everything is permitted. Good. You may leave. Close the door in your way out."

"As you wish, Master."

Vitoria blinked rapidly upon hearing the conversation. She wasn't even paying attention anymore to the footsteps and the sound of the doors closing; she was walking towards the guardrail, grabbing it tightly and trying to maintain her balance as she looked down upon Adonai. "_Nothing is true and everything is permitted._ What is it and what does it mean?" She wasn't stupid. Her father spoke those words out loud. He told her to trust _them_.

Adonai looked up and was suspicious about the sudden interest. "It is the Creed's maxim. It is our guideline. Do not believe the things you can see or hear around you – what you see is just a perspective, not the truth, and what you hear is an opinion, not a fact; nothing is true. For everything is permitted you need to understand that we do not know boundaries. To achieve freedom within the world and within the individual there are no boundaries, but we do know that our actions have consequences. That is one of the reasons we are called the Assassin Order, we kill when necessary."

Her father had talked about them; about the Assassins. He told her to trust them. He probably said this guideline out loud so that she could not make a mistake with trusting the wrong assassin. If that was even possible.

Vitoria closed her eyes for a moment, listening to her own heartbeat. "Alright. Fine. As long as I can do whatever I want to do in peace I am fine with this."


	6. Intruder

**Hey guyz!**

**Sooo... It's been a while. I'm afraid I am addicted to AC Unity. Co-op is the best (especially when both players suck). Ah damn. I need to play moooooore. But ya know, here is the chapter.**

**MrJaffaJack: That is kind of a big compliment, thank you. =D And I was actually stuck between naming it "The Assassins" or "The Meeting" lolz. So that's a thing. **

**The Forgotten Reader: Indeed! There is so much one can write in this situation, it's crazy. Although this chapter is kind of relaxing. I think. Next chapter we will have the real clash between Vitoria and the Assassins. **

**kykyxstandler: Haha thank you! And here ya go. :]**

**Have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

"Wait, what?" Sophia was standing with her hands on her hips, a frown engraved on her forehead and a perplexed expression written across her face. "Are you saying that people are living in your father's house? In your house?"

Vitoria – who had been running back as soon as she got the chance towards Sophia's house before her friend could take off for work – was nodding her head wildly. "Yes. And I am not even sure if I can say this to you. They call themselves Assassins. Oh dear, what if I wasn't allowed to say this to you? We would be so dead. Our bodies wouldn't even be found, that 's how dead we will be. I made a mistake. We need to leave this country, right now..."

"In the name of Zeus, calm down Vitoria!" Sophia grabbed her shoulders and shook her harshly, trying to somehow get through to the panicked Vitoria.

Vitoria pushed her friend off to make her stop. "I get it!" she growled and wrinkled her nose annoyed. "You do not even believe in the gods," she mumbled almost accusingly while smoothing her clothes.

"I know. But you do. Kind of. And it worked. Anyway, why didn't you kick those bandits out? You could have asked Arastoo to help you, he is head of the City Watch, is he not?" Sophia cocked her head a little, gazing questioningly towards Vitoria.

She shrugged. "I was planning on doing so, but then a man said something. He said: _nothing is true and everything is permitted. _That is their guideline..."

"... and your father told you to trust them, right?"

Vitoria nodded. "Right," she muttered quietly, sinking onto one of the cushions placed on the ground. Why hadn't her father said something to her?

Sophia kneeled next to her friend and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "If I were you I would go after the secrets my father wanted me to hear even though he had no chance to voice those secrets. But, I am sure, whatever decision you make is the right one." She gave Vitoria a soft smile and rose to her feet. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Vitoria shrugged and looked up in the green eyes of her friend. "I am not sure where I will be sleeping tonight."

Sophia nodded her head in understanding. "That is fine. Just be careful with whatever you are going to do. Bye!"

Vitoria watched as her friend rushed towards the front door and closed it behind her. She was already running late due to Vitoria's story. She kind of forgot to mention the vault. The young woman sighed heavily, staring into the living room. She listened to the silence for a long time before she made up her mind.

She stood abruptly and left Sophia's house without thinking twice. She had been stuck with this in her head for over two days but was too afraid to actually do it. It was something she had to do on her own.

For the umpteenth time she walked steadily over the cobblestone streets of Athens. The sun was hiding behind clouds whereby the streets were a little dark-ish. She stepped into her old street and immediately realized it had never been this quiet as it currently was. No one was sitting in front of their houses – no one was even in the street itself.

Vitoria let her gaze fall on the familiar door whilst slowly moving forwards. She made sure no one was around before touching the door. She inhaled deeply, her heart was hammering in her chest, and then pushed it open.

There was nothing left.

She was aware about the fact that Adonai had been here and emptied the place before anyone else would. Without making a sound she gazed into the living room after leaving the small hallway and noticed that her home was actually pretty big without the furniture. Or it seemed like it – it probably wasn't.

The woman then turned around and faced the one room she didn't want to face: her father's bedroom. It was now just a room where one could hear one's breathing echoing. The only thing that made this room different from other rooms was the bloodstain in the middle of it. It was the only indication that something had happened in this house.

Vitoria hugged herself while thinking back at the day she found her father lying helplessly on the floor. She was tempted to cry, but blinked the tears away. This room was not _his_ room. The living room was not _their_ living room. Her home had become a house.

* * *

Alvar was squatting while his eyes never strayed from the house the woman, Vitoria, just entered. He had been following her, hoping to find something out about her that could make her leave the base. Adonai had just told everyone at the base she was going to live with them. He even told them she was the owner of the mansion! She had the power to kick them out so 'leave her alone' and if that was not possible 'treat her well'.

Alvar rolled his eyes again – something he had been doing a lot throughout his Master's speech.

"So, you are already stalking her?" Leon quipped, standing next to him with his arms crossed.

Alvar growled annoyed in reply while his eyes were still on the house.

"Tell me, Alvar, why is this change bothering you?" Leon quirked a brow, watching him with immense interest.

"Why is this not bothering you?" he retorted and finally rose to his feet to look Leon in the eyes. "Women do not belong at the base. Especially when they are not an Assassin. I do not trust her, she could easily tell the king where we are located."

Leon could only chuckle at this statement. "You have lost your mind. Women have the right to fight for freedom too. And I doubt she would do that for Adonai would never tell her about us if she was not trustworthy."

"She will never be an Assassin." Alvar had crossed his arms, eyeing his friend intently.

Leon shrugged. "Perhaps not. It surely is not the reason why she is staying at the base." The man glanced for a second at the house and then back at Alvar. "If Nicon Terian was still living among us, you would have never dared to say this out loud."

"I would not have a reason to say it."

Leon sighed heavily, making sure the annoyance could be heard in his voice as he did so. "It will not work, Alvar. Your plan to sabotage her stay in some way."

Alvar was about to snap at his friend when the door of the house swung open and Vitoria quietly looked at either sides of the street, making sure no one was around. Then she left the house and started to walk.

Both men followed as she did so.

Suddenly a man grabbed her wrist as he sank to his rear on the corner of the street. Vitoria was startled at first, until she recognized who it was.

"I believe she knows the beggar," Alvar stated as both men watched as the man was looking up, mumbling words and shaking her hand while Vitoria nodded and smiled friendly.

Leon gave his friend a sidelong glance. "I am quite sure she will never sell us out in the future. No man or woman who is friends with a beggar would do that." He gave his friend a pat on the back as he walked passed him, making his way back towards the mansion and letting Alvar think about his words.

* * *

Vitoria was walking in the direction of the Great Plaza, while her mind was making her dizzy. The man who spoke to her in the street had been a man she used to greet when she went out. In the evenings he was most of the time sitting in the street she used to live in. He had known her father and wanted to personally speak to her and say some kind words about him. He was a nice man, slurred most of his words though (not due to alcohol) and people called him "Nine" for he had only nine fingers. At midday he would go to the Great Plaza and do what every beggar did – which was beg.

She was too deep in her thoughts to notice that she had already made it towards the Great Plaza. From there on she knew the way towards the mansion, so that had been her plan. Until her plan got interrupted.

"... freedom is what I believe in. Freedom of conscience, freedom of belief. We want to live in peace – I do not care if a government can provide us this or a king. We, the people, wan-. Excuse me for a moment." The man who had been standing on a wooden crate stepped off it and rushed through the small crowd that had gathered to listen to his words. He slipped past a couple of passers and grabbed one of them by the shoulders, making sure she couldn't walk away.

Vitoria snapped back into the real world, looking a little startled to the blonde man before her. "Sam?" she mumbled shocked, blinking rapidly. Sam was the man who was, clearly, unhappy with the king at the moment. He was one of the few who dared to say his thoughts out loud.

"Vitoria!" the man smiled happily, giving her a quick hug. "I heard the news about your father. I am very sorry."

Vitoria smiled as friendly as she could manage, although from the inside she was a bit annoyed. Getting constantly remembered of the fact that her father had passed away wasn't exactly helping her to move on. She appreciated it though. "Thank you, Sam."

Sam smiled back. "I wish I could do more for you. Your father had always been so... truthful with me. He was one of the few men who knew how to rule a country."

Vitoria remembered the first encounter between Nicon and Sam. Her father had told him to _bugger off _at the same spot they were standing; the Great Plaza. Somehow they evolved their friendship from there on. Probably because they saw each other almost every day on the Great Plaza; when her father went to his work and when Sam – and his wooden crate – stationed himself there.

She nodded, not knowing what to reply.

"I heard you are living in that white mansion. I didn't know it was yours." _So the news about the house had been spreading fast. _

"Eh... yes. I didn't know either actually," she mumbled, knowing that she had to think before she voiced the wrong words.

Sam was giving her a reassuring smile, noticing her withdrawn behaviour. "You should throw some kind of party in that mansion. It will make things easier, you'll see."

Vitoria burst out in a laugh, thinking about how ridiculous his words were. And impossible. "No, I will never do something like that."

He shrugged. "Well, your loss." He glanced at the crowd that wasn't as patient as he had thought. "I have got to go. I will see you again."

The woman nodded. "Sure. Bye, Sam!" She watched as the blonde man made his way back towards his crate and started to talk again about equality. She quietly moved on from the plaza towards the mansion.

Vitoria was astonished by the so called "Assassins" while she walked the slightly winding road towards the white mansion with the key in hand. How on earth had they managed to stay hidden from the king for all these years? Why did no one even have a clue of their whereabouts? No doubt if the wrong person knew this kind of information they would silence this person without hesitation.

She faltered in her step, looking – may it be – a little frightened towards the mansion as if it was a person. What if she was _the wrong person_?

Then again, would Adonai offer her a place to stay in her own house – even when she had been willing to give the key to them if the situation had escalated badly? The "Master" seemed like an intelligent man. He would never do something foolish, right?

Her mind was circling around various situations that weren't exactly in her favour. She was getting a headache because of it, so she decided to just follow the advice of Sophia.

Vitoria put the key in the lock and opened the door to her house. She slipped through the opening, closing it as softly as possible. By the time she turned around, she was facing Adonai. He was standing in the doorway of the library, hands clasped behind his back and watching her intently.

"Uhm... Hi," she mumbled carefully. She stole a glance at the library where it seemed that a couple of Assassins were reading a book or talking to each other. One of them was glaring at her, his eyes burning through her skin. She quickly returned her gaze towards Adonai.

"I will show you your room now, if you don't mind."

Vitoria nodded, looking into the hallway and discovering that it was decorated with various paintings and statues placed in between the closed doors. "Sure. Lead the way."

Adonai nodded and walked towards her right, in the direction of the spiral staircase – something she had not expected. For some reason she thought he would lead her towards one of those doors at her left (she guessed it were chambers for the Assassins).

He walked up the stairs and Vitoria followed him whereupon she found herself standing at the beginning of another hallway that contained less doors. There were maybe four doors in total?

The first door on the right was her room. He opened up the door and revealed an ordinary room with a bed, a closet, a bureau, a door towards her own bathroom and a balcony (from the front of the mansion the balcony wasn't visible).

"This is one of the spare rooms. I sleep in the room across," Adonai said practically. "We are the only ones who sleep on this floor. The Assassins sleep in the rooms below or in the guesthouse. We take turns in doing laundry and preparing food, although most of the Assassins find their own food. I suggest you prepare your own food and do your own laundry. We are up early and most of the time active by night. The kitchen is the first door to your right. I believe that is all for now. If there is anything at all, you can come to me. I will be around."

Vitoria nodded quietly and turned around to face Adonai once more. "Thank you."

Adonai nodded and then turned around, leaving the room. She listened if she heard him walking down the stairs but there was no sound whatsoever.

She decided to check out the balcony so when she finally found the key towards the balcony she opened up the door and stepped onto the stone platform. The view was breathtaking; part of the city was laying beneath her. She could see the Court of Justice, the Acropolis and the mountains which surrounded Athens. From up here Athens was beautiful. You got a whole other perspective from the streets.

She sighed, leaning on the stone guardrail and thinking about this whole situation. She was aware of the fact that she was the intruder here. These... Assassins lived, trained and slept in this mansion for most of their lives. But she lived here and it was her house.

Vitoria retreated herself from the balcony, closing the door behind her, and started to inspect the room – half cleaning while she was at it. The room was dusty, it seemed that they did not get many visitors.

That wasn't surprising at all.

When she was done with her room, she must head to the market while it was still open. She had to get some things like clothes and other things. She was, after all, a woman. And a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do.


	7. Making Friends

**Hey guys!**

**Sooo, a short chapter. I honestly have no idea why, but it was super hard to write this chapter. My head wasn't working properly or something. Really annoying. Anyway, next chapter is going to get better, I promise. And the plot soon will be revealed muhaha. So don't worry, I have things planned out. Most of it. **

**Uhm, there is a possibility that updating will be a lil' bit slower. It's getting real busy around here. But I will try to write as often as I can. :]**

**kykyxstandler: muhaha, me too. I am already in love with those two lol. I can't wait for writing that. =D**

**calwitch: Yes, I agree with you. Although Alvar is a very complex human being lolz. **

**MrJaffaJack: That is a good thing. The drastically bigger room, I mean. My room is too small and it's still covered in shit I liked when I was like ten. But I don't want to change it because that consumes time I don't have. And you can count me in on the party. I like parties. **

**So here ya go. Have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

Vitoria's eyes shot open to reveal the walls of her bedchambers in the mansion. And not the wooden planks in her previous house. She threw the covers off her and sat up straight in her bed, staring blankly at the walls that were faintly accented with light. The sun was coming up. Which meant that it was still too early to get out of bed.

She rubbed her eyes, yawning while doing so, and rose to her feet, pulling on her robe. She was certain that she could not go back to bed – her mind was already wide awake. So, instead, she walked over towards the balcony and opened the door.

The young woman hugged herself – a cold breeze was blowing – and watched as the sun was making the climb towards the heavens. She could watch this all day. Her stomach, however, could not.

Vitoria stepped back into her bedchamber, closing the door towards the balcony and putting the key on her bureau. Quickly, she put her hair in a bun with a ribbon she bought the previous day on the market and stepped out of her bedchambers – not really caring that she wasn't decent and on bare feet.

She walked down the stairs, entering an empty hallway and walking through the doorway of the kitchen (noticing that the doors to the library were open). She searched for the bread she had put somewhere aside and ate it when she had finally found it.

When she was done in the kitchen and she was about to head back towards her bedchamber, the curiosity got the better of her. She peeked into the library, noticing that it was completely empty. Then she dared to step into it, making weird faces as she stepped on the squeaking floorboards.

When she finally fully realized no one was in the library, she walked up the stairs towards the upper floor. Vitoria hesitated for only a moment before looking out of the gigantic window that looked down on the training grounds.

Adonai hadn't lied when he told her they started early. The Assassins were training themselves, just like they had done the day before. Not everyone, though – some were sitting against the fountain, enjoying their break. Others, however, were pushing themselves towards the limit.

Adonai was standing at the trainings ring, watching two of his pupils fight each other to the death – or near. It seemed like they were really fighting each other until their opponent wasn't able to stand anymore. Rigorous training. A little too much, maybe?

It took her a minute until she recognized one of the men in the trainings ring: it was the same man who attacked her the other day and dragged her into the library. Alvar was his name.

Vitoria watched as Alvar dodged an attack of his opponent and immediately returned one in the stomach. Alvar was about to give his opponent a blow to the head, but his opponent parried his attack and kicked him in the shin. Then the man punched Alvar in his ribs and gave him a couple of blows on his arms and head. Alvar rolled backwards to get away from the attacks and, without catching his breath, he ran towards his opponent. The running suddenly changed into sliding and Alvar slid past his opponent, grabbing the legs and making his opponent fall face first. In a blink of an eye, Alvar was on top of his opponent, his hands wrapped around the neck.

For a couple of seconds, Vitoria was scared that Alvar was actually killing his opponent, but then Adonai spoke up and both of the Assassins stopped with what they were doing.

Vitoria let out a sigh of relief while she watched the two men facing each other and bowing. She was surprised that they could still respect each other after this fight – it had seemed like they meant every blow.

"Who are we spying on?"

The sudden voice of a male startled her to death. She let out a muffled cry and turned around.

A man with a red sash worn around the waist looked at her with a quirked brow. He didn't have his hood on. He had two friendly blue eyes, short blonde hair and a stubble. He was just as fit as anyone else living here.

"I wasn't spying..." Vitoria mumbled and noticed the grin on the man's face. "I didn't know you Assassins could smile."

The man chuckled shortly. "Hmm, yes. It is very rare. Forgive me, my name is Ion Patron." He bowed his head a little to show her some respect.

"Vitoria Terian," she replied surprised. Ion was the first Assassin who was actually quite nice.

"Ah, yes. The lady of the house. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She let a smile grace her face, her eyes darting back towards the trainings ring. "Didn't Adonai tell you guys to leave me alone?"

Ion chuckled again. "He did. But the old man tells us a lot. Besides, how are you going to live here when you don't know any of us?"

Vitoria nodded in understanding. He had a point. She watched as Adonai was speaking towards Alvar, probably giving him some pointers. The man was standing straight, not giving a single groan. "He can take a lot," she mumbled more to herself.

"Alvar? Hmm, he had worse. I share my chamber with him."

Vitoria glanced back towards Ion, surprised. "You do?"

Ion noticed her expression and smiled. "He is very serious and grumpy but he's good people. The first time I met him he actually hated me. And now we're friends!"

She thought about that for a moment but her thoughts were interrupted by the movement in the trainings ring. They were done and Adonai was heading back towards the mansion.

"Yeah... I should probably get dressed," she said, already slowly backing away.

Ion nodded in agreement. "I should get going too. I'll see you around."

Vitoria smiled as she rushed past the numerous bookcases, down the stairs and out of the library. She walked up the stairs and entered her room, closing the door behind her. For just a moment, she had her back against the door, thinking about what just had happened. Then, she went into the bathroom, making herself ready. She wasn't sure why she was getting dressed but by the time she was done, she probably would know what to do with her day – she thought.

The young woman quickly washed herself in the bathtub and put on a simple dark green dress. She brushed her hair while wondering whether she went to visit Sophia or not.

Vitoria was just about to lock the door towards the balcony when a faint sound made her stop in her movements. Her eyes shifted from the balcony door towards her bedchamber door.

Did someone just knock?

She was not sure so she slowly moved over towards the other door, quietly listening if there was someone at the other side of it but there was no sound – even when she held her breath.

The woman pursed her lips, staring at the door for a moment. Then she quietly opened the door, peeking into the empty hallway. Was she getting mad? Maybe she was. Or maybe this building made the sound, for some unexplainable reason.

Vitoria shrugged it off, closed the door and was about to walk back towards the balcony door. Instead, she walked right into another human being and let out a stifled cry. Flinching, her back hitting the door, she looked up towards the man who was standing in front of her. It didn't take her long to identify this person as Alvar, the man who had been fighting in the ring the same morning.

"You startled me," she mumbled, relieved that it wasn't some thief or bandit. However, she remained wary of his presence.

"You have a visitor," he said in his monotone voice and stepped forward, narrowing the space between them and making Vitoria uncomfortable and confused. She looked up at him, her eyes scanning over his face. His lips were pressed in a firm line, his eyes looking down on her. He leaned forward and suddenly the room seemed to have not enough oxygen for the both of them.

Vitoria had to look away and then she heard the _click _of the door opening behind her. _Alvar had opened the door_.

She stumbled backwards into the hallway but Alvar didn't waste any time. He grabbed her arm and dragged her with him towards the spiral staircase. Finally, she understood what was happening: someone was at the door to see her – which wasn't odd at all; she lived here.

"This is the second time you are dragging me with you," she mumbled while she concentrated on her feet – she was trying not to stumble or fall.

"And it is probably not the last." He practically threw her towards the double doors that operated as the front door. She gave him an angry look, smoothing her dress in the process. Then she let out a sigh before opening one of the doors as if nothing had happened.

"Vitoria." The man in his armour bowed his head to show her his respect. "I am surprised you heard me knocking on the door," Arastoo said, glancing towards the mansion. Vitoria noticed the rectangular object he was holding, and wondered what it was.

_Lie, _the voice in her head said. "I was... around," she mumbled, giving herself a mental slap in the face. The worst lie she had ever voiced. Then again, she couldn't blame herself – the feeling that hundreds of eyes were watching them having this conversation made her forget how to act not suspicious.

The woman smiled convincingly. "What brings you here?"

Arastoo chuckled. "Well, I came here for a couple of things. Firstly, this is the only painting that wasn't destroyed in your house. I know your father loved this one very much, so it seemed only fitting to return it to you." He gave her the rectangular object which she, for some reason, hadn't identified sooner as a painting and she placed it carefully against the wall, next to the doors.

"Secondly, I had direct orders from the king to visit you."

Vitoria raised a brow while studying Arastoo. He wasn't joking, she was certain of that. "Why?"

"He is sorry for your loss and he wanted me to bring that message to you."

The woman felt a wave of disgust washing over her, but she hid that feeling as best as she could. The king wasn't sorry at all for her loss. Zephyr Vasco hated her father! He probably couldn't be more overjoyed when the news had reached his ears.

She suppressed the urge to slam the door shut right in Arastoo's face and gave him a piercing look. "Was there something else?"

The head of the City Watch nodded his head. "I just wanted to tell you that your father is buried next to your mother, just like he wanted. That is all."

Vitoria nodded her head. "Alright. Thank you, Arastoo."

Arastoo bowed his head in reply. "Take care of yourself, Vitoria," he added before Vitoria closed the door and grabbed the painting. She realized only now that Alvar had been watching her the entire time. He was standing with crossed arms, leaning against the wall next to the kitchen door.

She glanced over to him, watching him for only a moment, then she quietly walked past him towards the stairs. And then into her bedchamber with the painting, closing the door behind her.

Vitoria carefully placed the painting on her bed, pulling off the protecting cloth Arastoo had wrapped it in. _The two he most loved_, the painting with her, her mother and the tree with soft pink leaves. She was amazed it had survived.

Her eyes darted towards her wall and then back at the painting. She had to hang the painting on her wall and she had to visit the graveyard. However, she didn't feel like doing these things today.


	8. A Shiny Red Apple

**Yoooo guyz!**

**Back again with a quickie. Still busy and all. **

**MrJaffaJack: Hahaha, well it certainly is odd she hadn't. But that's because she doesn't have control over that situation. It is all taken care of etc. It happens so fast, she isn't really thinking straight when it comes to burying her father y'know. =]**

**The Forgotten Reader: Sorry... And yaaas. And- now I updated again. Damn. **

**calwitch: Because Alvar hates everyone hahaha. No, but he grew up in that mansion, he's not really used to changes like that lolz. butidontwanttogivetoomuchaway.**

**kykyxstandler: Yes. Ion is the best. =D**

**So with that said, have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

Vitoria couldn't sleep the night after Arastoo had visited her, so instead she dressed herself in a simple dress, grabbed her cloak after breakfast and went outside – the backyard, that was. It was her home and she wanted to explore it some more before she visited Sophia.

She walked quietly past the training grounds. None of the Assassins were training – it was too early for their physical training. Some of them were presumably already up.

The huge backyard was sheltered by trees from the city and, most importantly, people. No one knew what was happening in here and that was what the Assassins liked about the place.

Vitoria walked past a well with clean water in it – that was where the water came from. Most of the water was already stacked in barrels in the spare room in the kitchen though.

The smell of horses tickled her nose and her eyes darted towards another building that had to be the stables. She was surprised for no reason – it was only logical that the Assassins had horses, some of them operated in other cities.

The woman opened the wooden door of the square-like building and was amazed when she stepped into the stables. There were a lot of stalls, some were empty. In the middle of the building there was a room that contained saddles and food for the horses. Some horses had a name (the names were carved into a piece of wood and hanged on the doors of the stalls), some didn't. Vitoria was amazed by the animals and walked past every stall, looking at the horse, reading the names.

The last horse was the most beautiful horse she had ever seen (she hadn't seen many horses in her life but still). It was a white stallion with dark eyes. The stall next to the stallion was empty.

Vitoria leaned on the stallion's stall door and waited patiently until the horse walked towards her and pressed his nose against her arm. She smiled and carefully stroked his neck.

"You are one of the oldest horses here, aren't you," she mumbled and took a step back to look for a name.

_Brion, _was carved with difficulty in the piece of wood. She frowned when her eyes followed the scratches in the wood.

X

_"__What are you doing?" A voice asked from out of nowhere._

_The little girl looked up. "I am carving his name in this piece of wood." The girl was about to grab the knife again to continue her work when the man rushed over and grabbed the girl's hand. _

_"__Careful now, you will hurt yourself."_

_The girl glanced back towards the man with a sad expression. "But papá, he needs a name." _

_The man sighed with a smile and lifted the little girl in his arms. "I will proceed this mission. How do you wish to name him?" _

_The little girl laughed. "Brion is his name."_

_"__Brion. A strong name for a strong horse. A fine choice. Would you like to see him?" _

_The girl nodded her head elated. "Yes!" _

_The man holding the little girl entered the building and stopped at the last stall. Carefully he placed her on the stall door – still holding her tightly._

_A white mare lovingly pressed her nose against the little girl's leg, which made the girl giggle. Then the mare stepped aside, showing them a shaking, little foal hiding behind his mother. _

_"__It is going to be alright, Brion," the little girl mumbled after she noticed the fear in the foal's eyes. _

_"__Certainly. We will take good care of you." _

X

Vitoria blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what she just had witnessed and how. She had stopped stroking Brion and he was now bumping his nose every now and then against her arm, trying to get her attention.

She glanced back towards the stallion, slowly stroking his nose again. The man had looked like her father in a way (just younger), but that was impossible. That would mean she and her father (and maybe even her mother) had been here in this stable. And she surely wouldn't forget something like that, right?

"Are you crazy?!" A voice echoed through the stables and Vitoria looked sideways towards the spot where the voice was coming from. It was Ion.

"Excuse me?" she muttered, finally noticing that the sun was already making the daily climb towards the heavens.

Ion had a incredulous expression written across his face. "That horse is pure evil. You do not come near that horse or even touch it. Brion hates everyone around him, except for Adonai. He is the only one who can ride this animal."

Vitoria glanced back at Brion who didn't seem to mind her company at all. "He doesn't seem to hate me." She gave Ion a questioning look. "What are you doing here?"

Ion sighed. "It is my turn to muck out the stalls, unfortunately."

"As much as I would love to help you with your chores, I have to go."

He chuckled lightly. "Ah, leaving at the right moment, are we. I would do the same."

She stepped back and quirked a brow at him. "Well, in matter of fact, I do have to go somewhere."

He raised his hands innocently. "I believe you. I see you around then."

Vitoria said her goodbye and then exited the stables, walking over the landscaped path back towards the mansion. This time, when she passed the training grounds, there were Assassins training. Some of them gave her a look, others didn't seem to notice she was there. No one disturbed her and she didn't disturb them, so that was fine.

She hurried through the mansion towards the front doors, locking them behind her (even though that wasn't necessary). Then, she made her way towards the Great Plaza and from there on towards Sophia's house. She promised Sophia to visit her again rather sooner than later. She had to tell her friend a couple of things she forgot to mention the last time she saw her.

Vitoria made her way through the crowded streets of Athens and, at last, knocked on the front door when she was finally standing in front of her friend's house.

It took Sophia a couple of seconds to open the door. Her stunning smile immediately graced her face when her eyes fell on her friend.

"Finally, you decided to visit me." Sophia pulled her friend inside and closed the door.

"Where are your mother and brother?" Vitoria asked first. It seemed that they were never around when Sophia was home...

"Out," Sophia said with a humming tone as if it didn't bother her. Vitoria watched her keenly while taking off her cloak. The two women sat down on the cushions after Sophia gave her friend something to drink.

Sophia was watching her friend, her eyes gained a mischievously spark while she waited until Vitoria decided to speak.

"What?" Vitoria had noticed her expression and quirked a brow. Sophia shrugged.

"Oh, nothing. You are just living with a lot of _men_ in your mansion, I was just wondering what you've been up to." Her eyes narrowed as a playful smile spread across her face.

Vitoria rolled her eyes. "_Please_, Sophia. I am not like that."

Sophia chuckled. "I know that. So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Well, I forgot to tell you that my father left me a lot of money. And that I am not particularly loved in my own home." Vitoria took a sip from her cup and watched her friend intently.

At first, Sophia seemed to think about it and then she smiled. "So, Nicon had a secret pile of money somewhere."

"Yes, but I do not understand why we lived like we were poor when we were actually rich." Vitoria looked down at the water in her cup and moved it around.

Sophia pondered about her friend's words and chose hers carefully. "I am sure your father had a good reason for that. Hadn't he always?"

Vitoria stayed with Sophia until she had to leave for work. When the young woman was steadily walking over the cobblestone streets, her cloak billowing behind her, she got the chance to think about the thing she had seen in the morning. What if it hadn't been just some vision? What if it had been a memory? In her head, it sounded absolutely ridiculous. Moreover, she had no memory of that piece of wood, Brion or the stable. Maybe she should ask Adonai about it when she was back. She hadn't told Sophia about it – she wouldn't tell her until she first figured it out herself.

While she was on the route towards the Great Plaza, her ears caught the sound of voices. It were all male voices. When her eyes finally found the source of the voices, she saw three men of the City Watch standing over a young boy, kicking him, harassing him, cursing at him. The young boy was on the verge of tears, hunched, trying to cover his head from the three men.

Vitoria glanced around the street where people were walking by, not daring to even glance in the direction. No one seemed to even care about this boy. If Sam had been here, he would probably have stabbed one of the men's eye out. But Sam wasn't here and she wasn't him. So she just tried to solve it with words.

"Excuse me but what on earth do you think you're doing?" She stepped in, standing in front of the three men and blocking the way towards the young boy. This caused the men to take a step back, giving her some space – their glances told her they weren't happy with her interfering.

"We are punishing a thief, missy. Step away now or you'll hurt yourself," the one on the right said sternly. Vitoria just raised an eyebrow in response.

"A thief?" she questioned as if the word was not familiar to her. "You are abusing a young boy! Tell me now, do you have any proof of this?"

The man on the left replied this time: "I saw him grabbing that apple with my own eyes."

Her eyes were still showing something akin to scepticism while stepping away and giving a questioning look towards the boy that had been listening to the conversation with great interest. "Well? Is this true?"

The boy looked from Vitoria towards the three men and then back at Vitoria again. He slowly shook his head.

"You filthy little liar," the man on the left said and tried to grab the boy by the throat, but the man in the middle stopped him and mumbled bitterly:

"Let it go. Come on." He pulled the two men with him as he walked away from Vitoria – the three of them giving her an angry look.

Vitoria watched them go and vanish in the crowds. When she at last turned around to face the young boy, she faced nothing more than an empty spot. In the young boy's place a shiny red apple had appeared.

* * *

"Look who decided to show up."

Alvar was squatting down, his hood covering his eyes. He gave Ion a quasi-surprised look as the man lifted himself on the same roof.

"Oh ha-ha, Alvar," he retorted slightly annoyed and sat down next to his friend.

"I still do not know why you challenged me." Alvar glanced sideways at Ion. It had started out as a game for the two when they were young. They would run up and down roofs, training themselves in the process, and the one who finished first at the Great Plaza, won. The first time they challenged each other, none of them actually made it to Great Plaza.

"I felt like beating you today, that is why." Ion gave his friend a challenging look while Alvar's eyes twinkled in amusement.

"You did a poor job then."

Alvar rose to his feet and offered his friend a hand to help him stand – which Ion took – and the both of them started to walk back towards the mansion, jumping from roof to roof. It was Ion who noticed Vitoria walking among the citizens on the ground. He said this to Alvar, who snorted in response.

"She is actually quite nice. Even Brion likes her."

Alvar gave his friend the dumbest look he could give. "Are you talking about the Mentor's horse?"

"I am."

Alvar just shook his head. His eyes however looked down on Vitoria, the streets, the people.

Ion, however, was looking at his friend. "I know you hate everyone at the beginning, that is in your nature," Ion ignored the cold look he got from Alvar, "but you should give her a chance. I mean, we gave the sister of Dryas, Elene, a chance and she is a prostitute. Not that that has anything to do with anything..."

"Ion."

"What?"

Alvar darted his eyes towards his friend and then back at the crowds. "She's being followed. Damn it. Not nearly a week has passed and she is already endangering our identity." He shook his head in annoyance while jumping down from the roof, leaving a frowning Ion standing on it.

* * *

Vitoria had just left the Great Plaza when she suddenly felt a strong hand grabbing her upper arm and dragging her into the nearest ally. Everything happened so fast that when she was pressed against a wall, behind a pile of crates, her body started working again. Her eyes fell on a familiar hooded face whose lips were pressed in a firm line.

Alvar.

"The third time," Vitoria reminded him. It was the third time he dragged her with him.

"Why are there men following you?" he asked, well, demanded.

Vitoria was utterly surprised at his words. "What? Men are following me?!" Before she could say anything else, Alvar pulled both of them to the ground. They hid behind the crates.

Vitoria turned to Alvar and hissed albeit a little panicked: "And you think hiding in the nearest ally is not the most cliché spot one could pick?"

"Do you know these men?" he just retorted, ignoring her questions.

The woman studied him for a moment, then turned around and peeked around the crates. It took her a little while before she finally found (and recognized) the men who were following her. "They just abused a boy on the streets."

"And you stepped in?"

Vitoria turned back towards Alvar and nodded her head.

Alvar thought for a moment, his eyes studying her for a long time. Then, he glanced at the beginning of the alley, noticing that the three men of the City Watch weren't as stupid as he had thought. They were coming.

"I will distract them. You run towards the mansion."

Vitoria was about to ask something about the plan (the plan didn't really sound like a well-made plan) but she didn't get a chance for it. Alvar had already vanished behind her. He had already set his plan in motion. So she stuck with the crappy plan and ran out of the alley, towards the mansion.

Alvar had killed two of them with his hidden blades without being detected by anyone. Ion took care of the last one with a clean air assassination.

The Assassin crossed his arms while he watched Alvar. He had raised an eyebrow, looking expectant.

Alvar just said: "This is me giving her a chance."


	9. Coincidences

**Hey guys!**

**So I have been busy like hell. You wouldn't believe me. I still am. School always decides to throw every single, possible assignment of anything at everyone's face when a break is near. Fucking hate it when they do that. But, here is another chapter. =]**

**MrJaffaJack: Hahahaha, yeah he is! xd Hating everyone at the beginning lolz. He's not really a people-person. **

**calwitch: Damn right. Alvar needs to be happy she isn't kicking him out.**

**kykyxstandler: In a way yes. Kind of grumpy too but yeaaaah. **

**Daphne101: Yeah it is. I only saw the movies, though, but yeah it does remind me of it too. =]**

**With that said, have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

Alvar was lying on the bed that was placed against the wall. He was staring at nothing in particular. The bedchamber he shared with Ion was located in the mansion itself. The day had been warm and he had trained himself. The main thing he had trained himself in was self-defence without any weapons.

Then there was a clatter, a grunt and a chuckle. It had been Ion who had fallen off his chair while Dryas chuckled.

"Dammit Dryas! I was trying to read this book!" Ion mumbled while he sat down on the chair again. He put down the book he was holding and gave Dryas an annoyed glance.

"You shouldn't be sitting like that when I am around," was Dryas' poor defence for his actions.

Alvar sighed deeply to let them know he had been disturbed by their childish behaviour but both of them ignored him completely.

"Whatever," Ion said. "I am just glad I do not have to share my chamber with you. Where is Leon anyway?"

"He went to see Adonai," Alvar said surly. He sat up straight on the bed, his feet touching the floor while his eyes glanced towards the two men who had disturbed his thoughts. "Can you take this somewhere else?"

Ion rolled his eyes and chuckled: "You are as easily annoyed as he is angered."

It was then that Leon entered the room with a smirk when he saw the annoyed glances. "I see my absence really had an impact on you. Do not fret for I have returned."

"Right," Ion mumbled dumbly while Dryas just quirked a brow.

Alvar ignored them and asked: "What did Adonai want from you?"

Leon shrugged while he walked towards the bureau Ion was sitting at and grabbed an apple from the bowl. "Nothing special. He did request your presence."

"Did he say why?"

Leon shook his head while biting in his apple.

Alvar nodded and without further chatting he walked out of his room and towards the library. He didn't have any rest in there anyway.

He walked around the corner, passing a couple of closed doors and windows. He saw Vitoria coming down the stairs and his hand was already touching his hood but he didn't pull it over his head. She was living here now – it didn't really matter if she knew how he looked like or not.

They both walked down the hallway in silence. She however walked towards the front door while Alvar was already touching the doors that lead him into the library. He was about to open them.

"Alvar?"

He faltered.

"I just wanted to say thank you for what you did the other day."

Her words were spoken with honesty, he could hear it in her voice. In the corner of his eye he could see her standing there, grabbing the handle of the door tightly – her knuckles were turning white. It were the details he saw. He nodded, showing her that he had heard her words. It didn't take long for her to accept this as an answer and leave the mansion, locking the door behind her. She was still locking the door to make people believe she was living in this mansion all by herself.

Alvar opened the doors towards the library. The familiar creaking-noises sounded as he entered the room. He found his Master sitting at his desk.

"You called for me, Master?" Alvar said after he had bowed his head.

Adonai was looking at some sort of letter, reading the words with great interest... and trouble. The Master seemed troubled.

"I did," he replied and looked up. His eyes studying him before continuing. "I need you to do something for me."

He perked up at this even though he hid it under his wall of seriousness. "Name it and it will be done, Master."

Adonai rose from his chair and strolled over towards his pupil. "Tomorrow there will be a party, here, in Athens. Filipe Barbas will attend this party. I need you to eavesdrop on him. That is all you have to know for now. I will explain to you the details after you have returned."

Alvar gave his Mentor a nod. Finally he got a task he had to do. It had almost been unbearable to watch the amount of Assassins leaving the mansion for a task. Then again, most of them didn't even operate in Athens.

"It will be done, Master."

* * *

Her hands were placed on her arms, she was hugging herself tightly while she looked down on the grave of her father. Due to sickness and famine, most of the people who died got thrown into the same grave instead of digging a grave for every soul that had been living. Vitoria couldn't she was okay with this, but there wasn't another option. Her father did get his own grave because he had been 'important'. Arastoo even made a wooden cross and put it in front of his grave. Nicon and Arastoo had to be great friends if he did all this for her father.

"Are you okay, Vitoria?" Sophia, who had been giving her friend some space, was now standing next to her, an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Yes. I am fine." Vitoria gave her a friend a reassuring smile and then gazed back towards her father's grave. "I just really miss him."

Sophia sighed and put her head on her friend's shoulder. "Well, that makes two of us."

They stood there for a little while longer until they both agreed to walk back towards the Great Plaza. Sophia had to work and Vitoria wanted to get back to her house. It was late in the afternoon, the sun wasn't shining as bright as it had done a couple hours ago, birds were retreating to their homes – wherever that was. The streets were quiet.

It was Sophia who broke the silence. They were almost at the Great Plaza.

"So... I was invited to this party and I am allowed to bring someone with me. The party is tomorrow in a really, _fancy_ mansion. It looks almost like a castle – almost like _your_ mansion. Anyway, I want to bring you. To keep your mind off certain things." Sophia smiled at Vitoria as she spoke.

"Hmm," Vitoria mused, "I don't know..."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "You will go with me to that party. I will pick you up. Wear one of those new dresses of yours, they look really pretty on you. Alright?" They had arrived at the Great Plaza and they were standing still because it was here that their roads parted.

Vitoria sighed. "Alright. Fine. I will go with you to that party, okay? Happy?"

Sophia looked satisfied. "Very. Well, I have got to go. See you tomorrow."

Vitoria rolled her eyes at Sophia's back. "Bye." She watched as her friend made her way through the crowd and then she made her way towards the mansion. The day wasn't over yet. She had one more thing to do before she retreated herself in her bedchamber.

Vitoria quietly took her key out and opened the front door towards her house. She was pleased to see that the doors of the library were standing open, which indicated that Adonai wasn't busy. That was good. She had to speak to him.

"Hello, Vitoria. How can I help you?" Adonai said calmly when he heard her entering the library. He had looked up from his desk and waited patiently for her to speak up.

"I need to ask you a question."

Adonai narrowed his eyes. "What about?"

"My father."

The man gave her a nod and gestured towards the doors – which she closed as soon as she realized what he wanted. The library was quiet; when she closed the doors it sounded akin to a thunderclap. She walked back towards the spot she had been standing before she had to close the doors and looked at Adonai, who was waiting until she asked the question.

"Did my father live here?"

Adonai didn't flinch upon hearing her question – not that she expected him to. His face didn't show anything that could answer her question. He was calm. That was all she got from him.

"Before I answer that question I want to know what made you think he lived here?" He retorted. He was careful in every action he made and every word he voiced, Vitoria knew that much. It was probably in the nature of every Assassin – to be careful. She could respect that.

"I eh..." She thought about her words and the odd vision she had seen in the stables. Maybe it hadn't been the thing she thought she had seen. Maybe it had been just something else entirely, something stupid – something that didn't have anything to do with the real world or with her father. But if there was a chance that it wasn't something stupid she had to ask it. "This may sound silly but when I entered the stables and saw, I believe, it was your horse I got a... I don't know. I saw something."

Adonai blinked. "You saw something that involved Nicon living in this mansion?"

Vitoria nodded slowly. "Something like that. Like I said, I don't know. I believe I saw Brion as a foal." She was glad that Adonai didn't look at her like she was insane.

Adonai sighed calmly and stood up from his seat, his hands clasped behind his back. He walked towards the nearest bookcase and read the titles of the books. He was taking his time – he was probably thinking of a reply to something like that, weighing his words.

It took him a couple of minutes before he finally turned around and faced her again, his face still unreadable. "To answer your question, Nicon did live here. You did too. I believe you were the one who gave Brion his name."

Yes. She had given Brion his name. She was now fully convinced that she had been the little girl. It hadn't been an odd vision – it had been a flashback, a memory. Vitoria frowned. "I don't understand. Why did my father leave this place then?"

Adonai crossed his arms and walked in front of his desk to lean against it. "Your father had been an Assassin. After he had been a Master Assassin he became a Mentor. Just like me. We walked the same path until he met your mother and she gave birth to you. For a couple of years they lived here, he being a Mentor and a father. Then he decided to quit – to step out of his life as an Assassin – and he moved towards the suburbs of Athens with your mother and you."

Vitoria blinked. It had been obvious that he could have been an Assassin too. It never did cross her mind, though. Her father had never looked like one of those Assassins – like Alvar, for instance. He never struck her as the type who murdered people. He may had the same ideals as the Assassins, but he never could have walked on rooftops – something she had noticed the Assassins liked to do.

"That is... absurd. My father would never..." Vitoria was bewildered, but she had to focus. She was certain of it that Adonai was speaking the truth and she had more questions to answer. "Is it possible to just step out of the Assassin Order?"

Adonai studied her, as if this question wasn't the one he had expected. "Not like that. But Nicon's case was different. He had dedicated his whole life towards the Order, he had fought the Templars for years – and successfully. I had nothing to make him stay, so I had no other choice than to let him go."

Vitoria nodded slowly, progressing this. She now completely knew why her father told her to trust the Assassins. He had been one of them. He dedicated his whole life to them and he was sure of it that they would return a favour – keeping her safe. "This is why you let me live here and told me about the Order?"

"Your father told me that he would give this mansion to me, someday."

"He never did, though," Vitoria stated.

Adonai shook his head. "He never did." His eyes studied her again, as if he tried to read a book. "Your father was a wise man."

Vitoria cocked her head a little. "How so?"

"Because he knew. He changed his will a day before his death. Death never took him by surprise; he was ready to go."


	10. The Party

**Hey guyzzz!**

**Guess who's back... back again. Lawl. It's been a while. My busy days are finally over and Christmas break is coming up. YEAH. **

**Anyway, you guys have no idea how difficult it was to write this chapter. I don't even know why, but I had a lot of trouble. My mind was dead. But here it is. **

**MrJaffaJack: Well, he isn't. Or maybe I am lying and he actually is. You cannot trust me and my words lol. **

**calwitch: Yeah he will. Kind of. In his uncivil way I guess. xd**

**The Forgotten Reader: True dat. He looks like both of them. Although he is not ****_that_****arrogant as Altaïr and not ****_that_****ignorant as Connor. He is like this lil' mix between them. Cuties. **

**Kykyxstandler: I can't wait to write it. D **

**CodeSixty: Hahahah, well time flies when you're having fun... damn I sound like my mom. Anyway, thank you for liking it. =]**

**Have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

It had been a normal day. Vitoria waking up, walking down the stairs to get some breakfast from the kitchen and then getting dressed. When the library was empty – Adonai was training one of his pupils – she slipped inside and started to read. She had nothing better to do so she read about the Creed – about a man, to be precise. His name had been Altaïr and he had been very important to the Creed. He had been a Master Assassin – which was one of the highest ranks out there in the Creed – and then got demoted because he broke the three tenets. It was an interesting story and Vitoria would have read more of it if it wasn't for the disturbance: a faint knocking sound on the front door.

Vitoria closed the book and placed it back on one of the bookcases. Then she walked towards the front doors, opening them. It wasn't a surprise that Sophia was standing at the other side of the doors.

"H-", Vitoria got pushed away in mid-sentence, stumbling backwards as Sophia marched in to look at the interior of the mansion.

"This is beautiful. I knew your father had a good taste for these kind of things. Oh! And you even have a library!" Sophia exclaimed and was about to march into the library but Vitoria blocked the way, smiling sweetly.

"I am so glad you came. I need to pick out my dress and eat before we can go, so..." She grabbed her friend by the shoulders and slowly pushed her towards the kitchen. "I will show you the house another time, I promise, but now I'm hungry. Aren't you hungry?" She pushed Sophia into the kitchen and quickly glanced around to see if anyone witnessed it.

No one was there, which was a good thing. Vitoria quickly joined her friend and made some food.

With Sophia by her side it didn't take long to pick out the perfect dress. The winner was a dark red dress which Vitoria had bought on the market.

Soon after they found Vitoria the perfect dress they left the mansion, both weren't aware of the hooded figure that was running across the rooftops to attend the same party as the two women.

* * *

"Who is hosting this party exactly?" Vitoria asked, while she looked around the massive backyard. There were tons of people – most of them possessed a lot of money – walking around, talking, laughing and drinking. Servants were quietly walking around, offering people food and drinks. Guards were standing at every corner, Vitoria wasn't quite sure why. The mansion, which could easily be mistaken for a palace, was really beautiful. The inside was spacious. On the ground floor there were no doors – only arches. Except for the door that lead to some kind of ballroom. Upon entry, there were two things that caught one's eye immediately. The first thing was the chandelier that hung from the ceiling. The chandelier alone was worth more than the staff's income combined. Vitoria and Sophia agreed on that.

The second thing were the stairs. The rail was made of ornate mahogany and the stairs itself gave access to the first and second floor. The red carpet was the main thing that caught one's eye – it gave every room the same luxurious feeling. It felt like they were invited to a party thrown by the king himself.

"You'll see," Sophia mumbled mysteriously. She gave her friend a playful look and then walked down the stairs, into the backyard where the other invitees were still laughing and talking. The women were wearing the most insane dresses and hats Vitoria had ever seen, the men were trying not to peek at the prettier women than the one they came with, both parties were drinking.

Vitoria sighed and walked after her friend, catching up to her. Together they strolled on through the backyard.

A little further, standing on the rooftop of the mansion, an Assassin had just knocked out the last guard that had stood in his way.

Alvar looked down on the guests, eyes narrowing and mind focusing. He saw mouths moving, hands touching, feet strolling and hair blowing; he heard words rolling, laughter, high pitched voices and low pitched voices. Nothing went unnoticed. It didn't take him long to distinguish the innocent men and women from the guards; the guards got a red-ish glow around them, which made them stood out.

The man Alvar was looking for wasn't in the backyard.

He stepped back, looking down on the mansion and focused again. Red blurred markings appeared in front of his eyes – he was looking through walls to find his target.

Filipe Barbas was located in one of the study rooms in the mansion. His blurred glow was coloured a gold-ish yellow, making him easy to spot.

Alvar ran to the other end of the rooftop without making a single sound and lowered himself down. He was in luck – which was a rare thing – a window was open. This made it easier to eavesdrop Filipe Barbas without getting detected.

He grabbed the ledge of the window and peeked through. The study was just as any other study. It contained a bookcase, a desk with papers, three chairs, candles and paintings. The red carpet covered almost every room in the mansion, the study included. Two people were inside. One was sitting behind the desk, the other was standing with crossed arms at the closed doors. Filipe Barbas was the one standing at the doors. Alvar guessed the other man was the host of the party.

"... getting busy."

It took some time for the host to get interested. He had been writing something and did not reply until he was done. When he finally was, Filipe had looked at three paintings as if he understood the meaning behind them. Alvar doubted the man he was eavesdropping on had any knowledge of paintings – or painters in general.

The man behind the desk sighed and looked up. "What is it that you want from me this time, Filipe?"

Filipe turned towards the host. "I am in need of some money."

"Isn't everyone?" the man replied simply. He quirked his brow – something Alvar could not see from his point of view.

Filipe growled – he was already annoyed with the fact that he had to ask for something to _him_. "I will not beg for it. I can only say that I will not be the only one who will benefit from this."

The man rose from his desk and slowly walked around it, looking down at the papers that were neatly placed on it. "How much I'd like to see you begging, it will not happen for I have no time for you. I have to speak to my guests. If you'll excuse me..." The man was about to walk past Filipe to get out of the study when Filipe grabbed his arm – something he should not have done.

The host grabbed and twisted his arm. He turned him around so that his back was facing him and pushed him with a lot of strength against his desk. Some papers floated slowly down onto the ground. "Don't be stupid now, Filipe," he hissed.

"I have news... from him," Filipe squirmed and the man who had almost broke Filipe's arm stopped his actions. He was gazing down at the side of Filipe's head, studying him.

"Tell me."

Filipe swallowed with difficulty. "It's about the door. We came to the conclusion that it does not have a keyhole. It's impossible to open it."

"Is that his opinion or yours?" The host spat annoyed.

Filipe didn't respond to this, which gave the man a clear answer.

The host let Filipe go, turned his back on him to think about his words. "There must be a way to open it. Lives are depending on it. When I get the chance I will look at it myself. A door can always be unlocked otherwise it's not a door. Now, enjoy the party or get out. I have to speak to my guests."

Filipe, who had recovered from the attack, was watching the back of the host with keen as the man was walking towards the door. "And the money?"

Guards made way for the man as he opened the door. "There is no imaginable scenario that I will be giving you money, Filipe." And with that, the man was walking downstairs while Filipe hit the desk with his fist to show his disapproval.

Alvar climbed up and watched from the rooftop how the guests were packed together, their backs turned towards the fountain and their eyes gazing towards the mansion. Most of them were holding a glass. They were waiting until the man of the hour finally decided to speak to them.

The guests started to clap when the host walked through the opened doors of his mansion. Alvar's eyes darted towards something else when the host spoke. Two women hurried to the crowd. The one on the left he recognized. It took him a couple of blinks to accept that his eyes weren't deceiving him.

* * *

"Why is everyone standing there? And, more importantly, why aren't _we_ standing there as well?" Vitoria asked to Sophia as the two women were rushing themselves to the crowd. They hadn't paid too much attention to their surroundings and suddenly they had been the only ones left in the backyard.

"The host of the party is speaking to his guests," Sophia answered.

"The host?" Vitoria mumbled quizzically as if the word itself was unfamiliar to her. "Who is hosting this party, anyway?"

Sophia grinned at her suspiciously but did not answer. She just pulled her friend with her as a low pitched voice could be heard. His voice was welcoming, warm, friendly... The host seemed to know how to give these kind of parties... The voice seemed familiar to Vitoria.

The two women finally made it to the crowd. Sophia stood on her toes to look at the man of the hour while Vitoria glanced between heads and hats towards the same man. He was still talking.

The man had raven black hair, which was thick and lustrous. He had strong arms and bold thighs. This was everything Vitoria could see from the spot she was standing – she didn't need more. She knew this man as soon as she laid eyes on him. And she could picture his face at any moment: strong arched eyebrows, thick lashes, a bone structure that was perfectly symmetrical, thin pale lips... But his eyes were the ones that had made her fall in love with him. They were a deep ocean blue, speckles of silvery light danced in his eyes. Evando Kellis was his name.

The last thing Vitoria wanted was to see Evando ever again.

"Did you bring me here for him?!" Vitoria hissed as she pulled on her friend's arm, making her stumble but not fall.

Sophia was confused. "Yes. I thought you would like that, you two were such a great couple..."

Vitoria shook her head wildly. "No, no, no, no, no... In the past. Maybe. But no. We need to go..."

"Vitoria!" Sophia grabbed her friend and the two women stepped away from the crowd. "What's the matter with you? What happened between you and Evando?"

Vitoria stared at Evando who was making his guests laugh with a silly joke and returned her gaze at Sophia. "Well. He proposed to me. I told him no and left. For good."

Sophia blinked a couple of times to let this sink in. "So you told him that you didn't want to get married and left without ever seeing him again?" Her eyes were wide and she seemed alerted.

Vitoria nodded. "Yes. Do you not know how awkward it is to see him?" She wanted to gaze at Evando again but he wasn't standing in front of the mansion anymore. His speech was over and the guests were slowly returning to the spots they had been standing before Evando came to talk to them.

"Oh dear. That is bad. See, if you told me these kind of things I wouldn't put you in these positions. Anyway, come on. We are going. Right now." Sophia grabbed her friend's wrist and pulled her along while they made their way past the guests.

The guards that were guarding the gates and the gates came into view and Vitoria was certain that they would make it out until a man, out of nowhere, stood before them. They almost bumped into him.

"Leaving already?"

Vitoria's heart sank upon hearing his voice. _Dammit_. She gave Sophia a helpless glance before gazing at the man she hadn't seen in years. "Evando... Hi..." He hadn't aged. He had just become more manly.

Vitoria felt like throwing up.

"No, we weren't leaving." Sophia glanced from Evando to Vitoria and back. "Anyway, I should probably get back to the party..." She stepped back.

_No, Sophia, don't do this to me!_

Evando grinned. "Probably."

"Nice seeing you again, Evando." Sophia said and gave her friend an encouraging look before disappearing behind the guests.

Vitoria watched her friend, hating her for not saving her out of this situation. Then again, Sophia had always been on Evando's side in the past. She still was. Sophia was probably hoping for Evando and Vitoria to get back together. Something that wouldn't happen.

"I heard your father passed away. I am truly sorry, Vitoria." His voice was very warm, very seductive. If she didn't know him the way she did, she would have fall for him again.

She managed to smile at him. "Thank you."

His blue eyes studied her for a long time. "Do you mind?.." He offered his arm and even though every vein in Vitoria protested against it, she took it. She took his arm because she felt she owed it to him.

They walked towards his mansion, passing guards and through the doors. He was showing his house to her. She couldn't care less about his mansion; she knew the real reason why he was doing this. They were alone in a lot of rooms. He wanted to talk. And she owed him a talk. _Dammit_.

"I heard you went to Italy," Vitoria mumbled while she looked at one of his paintings. They were standing in one of the living rooms. It was just as luxurious, just as expensive as the mansion itself. "I suppose that went well."

Evando grinned. "Yes. I did some business there, earned some money. I came back, did some business here and bought this mansion."

"You make it sound easy." She glanced at him and noticed the expression on his face.

"It wasn't." His curt reply made her wonder what happened in Italy, but she decided to shut her mouth. A silence fell as they continued on.

"So, are you currently seeing someone?" Evando asked as they were standing on a white balcony, overlooking the backyard.

Vitoria had been stargazing, her hands resting on the guardrail. It was a beautiful night. "No." She looked at him. "You?"

He shook his head. "It is hard to move on when my previous lover leaves me standing without explanation." Evando turned to her and noticed her pained expression.

"Yeah, I deserved that," she mumbled and sighed.

"So why did you leave?"

Vitoria thought about his words and considered hers. "I did not love you anymore." She regretted saying that as soon as she said it. It was a lie, and Evando knew it. But he didn't say anything, he just nodded. The truth was, her father hated him. Badly. And, he hadn't told her everything about himself. One day Vitoria had been in his house to surprise him and when he finally returned home, his clothes had been covered with blood. He seemed fine. So she had left his house without telling him she was there and the next day he acted just like he always did. Vitoria didn't know why she never asked him about that night. The only thing she did know was that when he proposed, she panicked.

Vitoria recalled the memories she had of Evando and then pushed them all away. "I need to go." She pushed herself off the guardrail and gave him a soft smile. Before she left the balcony, Evando grabbed her hand. His eyes were looking directly in hers.

"It was good to see you again, Vitoria." She easily could've mistaken her name for the sound of rustling leaves – he had whispered it in a hush.

She just blinked in reply and then left him standing on the balcony. Vitoria rushed out of the mansion and glanced around the backyard for Sophia. She shoved people out of the way, ignoring the annoyed glances she got in return, while she tried to find her friend.

Vitoria was walking near the fountain and entered a part of the backyard where no one was allowed to come (she had no idea), when something grabbed her arm and she was suddenly eyeing a hooded figure.

"Alvar? What are you doing here?" she asked surprised. Sometimes she got the feeling that man was following her and she didn't know why.

"I can ask you the same question," he retorted. Even though Vitoria couldn't see his eyes, she knew he was alerted.

"I was asked by my friend to come here. Have you seen her?"

Alvar ignored her question and retorted: "How do you know the host?"

She narrowed her eyes. So he had seen her with Evando. "Why should I tell you?"

Suddenly, Alvar grabbed her wrist and pulled her down with him. A guard holding a candle entered the same part of the backyard Alvar and Vitoria were in. He didn't seem alarmed – this part of the backyard was probably part of his rounds. The guard was standing fifteen metres away and the candle wasn't bright enough to illuminate the spots of Alvar and Vitoria.

Vitoria knew she should be watching the guard, but she couldn't concentrate while Alvar was still holding her wrist. She hated herself for this.

"Evando Kellis is a Templar. You should stay away from him," Alvar whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her skin. Evando Kellis was a Templar? Now she understood why her father hated him so much.

The guard moved away to another part of the backyard and Vitoria let out a sigh of relief. Along with Alvar, she rose to her feet.

"Well, all the more reason to get back home," she mumbled while dusting herself off. She felt Alvar's eyes watching her and when she finally looked up, she saw he had crossed his arms.

"Your friend is sitting on a bench near the fountain," he muttered and watched as Vitoria stepped away from him to see for herself if he was speaking the truth.

When she finally found Sophia sitting on a bench near the fountain, just like he had told her, and looked back, Alvar was gone. She decided to follow his example and walked up to Sophia, pulled her off the bench – ignoring her protests – and left the mansion without looking back.


	11. Feelings

**Yoooooo guyzz!**

**A little holiday treat, lawl. Very little. Yah, this chapter is short but that is because the chapters are planned and this one was short. I believe the next one isn't that big either. It happends. Don't worry, they won't stay short forever. :]**

**MrJaffaJack: Yeah I'm fine. =] Aaaaand, well. Not exactly. They will come in contact with something like it, but this chapter explains that a little bit. **

**calwitch: Yeah well, her father would've never let her marry him anyway haha. So she kind a had no choice.**

**kykyxstandler: He does sound sexy. He is sexy. And bad. Bad boys ftw D. Kidding, Alvar for the win. Aaaaand, thank you =]**

**So, I love this chapter. It was fun to write.**

**Anywayz, merry x-mas and a happy new year guys! I hope you have a wonderful couple of days. Mine are planned with tons of things. So I will be very much enjoying myself these days. I hope you do too. **

**Without further ado, have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

"Ah, Alvar. I see you have returned." Adonai was standing in front of his desk, as if he had been waiting on him to return. "I trust you were successful?"

Alvar had closed the doors of the library behind him as soon as he entered and bowed respectfully before the Master. His eyes studied the room briefly and then gave the man a nod. "Yes, Master."

Adonai nodded, pleased with this. "What did you find out?"

Alvar thought back on the party, which happened a couple of hours ago. He had been following Filipe until the morning, then he decided the man would say no more on the subject and retreated to the base. "He was talking about a door that cannot be opened for it has no keyhole – or that is what Filipe said. Evando Kellis thought differently."

Adonai was frowning – something he did whenever he was deep in thought. He was staring blankly ahead and then he seemed to make a connection – Alvar saw it in his eyes.

"Why do the Templars want to open that door?" Alvar gave Adonai a questioning glance.

His Mentor took a moment to order his thoughts and then turned to his pupil. "It is believed that this door you are talking about is protecting something very powerful from the world. It is said to be a weapon made by the hands of gods and wield by the King of the gods."

"Zeus?"

Adonai nodded. "Zeus."

Alvar thought about this. "Do you know where this door is?" He finally asked.

Adonai nodded again. "I know where it is and I also know that it is akin to impossible for us to see the door for ourselves. The Templars are guarding it night and day."

This information made Alvar a little wary. He looked keen at his Mentor. "You already knew the information I gave you?"

The Mentor slowly walked around his desk and sat down on the chair, arms resting on the armrests. "I had my suspicions, but I wasn't sure. Now I am. This door is located in the fourth cave at the Acropolis."

Alvar quirked his brow. "Fourth?" He was only familiar with three caves at the Acropolis. The Cave of Aglauros, the Cave of Apollo and the Cave of Pan. He did not know there was another cave located there.

"Yes, the fourth cave. A cave one doesn't see if one didn't know of its existence. The Cave of Zeus, a small cave that only contains the door." Adonai moistened his lips. "If the Templars get their hands on that weapon, the world will not be free. Athens will never have tasted freedom and we... The Assassins will vanish."

"So we need to get the key before they do."

The Mentor studied Alvar for a moment. "Yes. But I have no idea where the key is located. I even doubt that we are looking for a metal key – based on your information that there is no keyhole. But what are we looking for then? I do not know. We are completely in the dark."

"What a relieve that we work in the dark then."

* * *

Vitoria had been making herself some food when one of the Assassins walked in. She hadn't been surprised – it happened often. The Assassins needed to eat too. Some of them bought it themselves, some of them didn't. The last time she had been eating in the kitchen, Ion and two of his fellow Assassins came in. Leon and Dryas if she recalled their names correctly. They ate together and she had laughed at some of the stories Ion had told about his friends.

This Assassin she had seen before. And she was quite confident that he didn't like her here. At all. She didn't know his name, but she recognized his robes and the looks he gave her. He was different than Alvar. Alvar spoke to her and seemed to accept her presence. Kind of. She hoped. But this Assassin... not so much.

Vitoria sat quietly down with her food at the table, her mind drifting away to the previous night. She was okay with the fact that Sophia tried to cheer her up – even though it ended disastrous. But she forgave her friend for all that (like bailing on her when Evando showed up). It was pretty clear that Sophia tried to get them back together but Vitoria wished she hadn't done it in the first place. The last person she wanted back in her life was Evando.

Her thoughts were interrupted because of the Assassin who was staring at her – she couldn't see his eyes but she felt them. It annoyed her that these Assassins communicated by some sort of stare-language. If one felt hatred towards another person, stare this person down until it becomes uncomfortable.

"Do you need something?" she asked without showing her annoyance.

"Leave," he hissed in reply, his eyes never straying from hers.

Vitoria wasn't sure if she understood this correctly. "Excuse me?" She quirked a brow, eyes narrowing.

"You should not be here. You have no business here. Go." He was demanding, words like poison dripping from his lips. She didn't like him at all.

"I have more business here than anyone else in this mansion. I own this mansion. If you don't like it then I suggest that you should leave." Her words were spoken slowly, so that he would understand every bit of it. There were two things she hated; men who treated women like dogs and women who allowed themselves to be treated like dogs.

The Assassin wasn't happy with her reply – his muscles tightened and he clenched one of his fists. She wasn't sure if he did that on purpose or not – his next words, however, were voiced on purpose:

"Do not speak to me like that, you filthy whore," he growled, walking towards her.

Vitoria had already rose to her feet, walking backwards. He was stronger than her and he was armed. She recognized the hidden blades attached to his wrists – a weapon the Assassins were known for. Every Assassin had one.

"I am not a whore, Assassin," she hissed. Her heart sank when her back hit the wall behind her. There was nowhere to go and this Assassin was still moving closer.

He quirked a brow – something Vitoria failed to see. "Not? Have I not seen it with my own eyes that you go into the House of Pleasure?" He pressed one hand against a spot next to her head on the wall, leaning. He seemed to tower over her – this was exactly the meaning of the position he was standing in; making her feel small.

Vitoria felt anger blossoming in her stomach. Why was every stupid Assassin following her around? The only reason why she entered the brothel was because of Sophia!

The Assassin seemed to read her mind. "We do not live with strangers," he answered just before Vitoria pushed him away as hard as she could with the words: "Get away from me." The push was hard enough to let him stumble backwards, creating a way out. She walked away from him, her eyes flashing warily at him.

"You should not have done this," he mumbled, eyes darkening. He took big steps to get to her, while Vitoria looked for another way out, her heart hammered in her chest, as her eyes glanced back at him, noticing that both of his fists were clenched. She was in trouble.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, someone had slipped between them, making the Assassin stop abruptly in his tracks. Vitoria was staring at the back of another Assassin, who had pushed the first Assassin away, making him almost fall on his rear.

"Get the hell away from her, Lazar."

It was only then that Vitoria realized who just saved her from this man named Lazar. Alvar.

Lazar recovered quickly from Alvar's attack – if one could call it that. If looks could kill, he had ripped Alvar already apart in several ways. "Alvar," he hissed in return. His eyes were glancing at different objects while his mind was thinking of a way to harm Alvar in a very, painful manner. Alvar, however, had read his mind.

"As much I would like to fight you, Lazar, we cannot compromise the Brotherhood. So get your food and walk away." He watched the Snake closely as he noticed that he relaxed a little, unclenched his fists and finally accepted Alvar's words. There was only one thing that Lazar and Alvar had in common – they both respected the Creed dearly.

Alvar watched until Lazar had grabbed his bread and walked out of the kitchen. He listened intently for the footsteps to disappear.

Vitoria was still frowning at the doorway where Lazar had just disappeared. "What is wrong with him?" she mumbled angrily, crossing her arms in annoyance. When she first came here, she had told herself that there would be people disagreeing with her staying in their "base". Lazar took "disagreeing" to a whole new level. He had simply been rude.

"A lot," Alvar answered. He turned around to face Vitoria, studying her.

She glanced towards the doorway, then back at Alvar. Her hard expression softened. "Well, thank you for what you did just so." She wished her heart wasn't pounding as loudly as it did – she got the feeling he could hear it from where he was standing. Alvar just shrugged in reply and honestly, that was enough of a reply to her. It seemed as if the sun was shining through the roof – the room had suddenly turned hot and she wondered if Alvar could feel it too. Probably not.

"Anyway," she said, moving around the table and avoiding the chance to become close to Alvar. He was like the sun, radiating a lot of heat. And, her knees would probably fail to keep her up. What had gotten into her suddenly? "I have got to go." She smiled to him, slowly walking backwards to the doorway. She waited in the doorway, still watching Alvar who hadn't said a thing. Then she realized she was staring. "Bye." Vitoria rushed towards the stairs, failing to notice that Alvar had an amused expression in his eyes as he had watched her go.

Vitoria could slap herself in the face. Not because her stupid behaviour – well, maybe that too – but also because she had certain feelings... And she knew those feelings. And she didn't want those feelings. He saved her from a couple of situations and her body immediately thought he was handsome and likeable and...

Stop.

Vitoria plopped down on her bed as she wiped a hand over her face before she stared blankly at the ceiling.

Hmpf. Darn Assassins.


	12. The Cave of Zeus

**Hey guyz!**

**I hope yall enjoyed Christmas. I sure did. **

**MrJaffaJack: Hahaha wow! A lot of info you got there. But yeah, it's true. Probably. The second is indeed true. Why make a story if there ain't no asshole in it. That's just boring. I like assholes, except when I read stories. Then I hate them. That's the idea, of course. And thank you! Thank you for reviewing every chapter, that's insanely awesome. You da best. :***

**kykyxstandler: Yes, Alvar is our hero. He is so cute. And thank you too for reviewing a lot of my chapz. loveyaaaaa.**

**So a new chapter. I loved to write from Evando's POV. Refreshing. Anyway, this year is almost over. See yall next year.**

**Have a good day and enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_Evando Kellis_

He had a way of walking that didn't make him stand out in a crowd. He walked as if he was perpetually in a hurry, although his footfalls made no sound whatsoever. His steps were long, but not rapid. He passed by several people, who did not react to him at all. No one did. The people of Athens didn't look beyond their knowledge. They simply didn't care or ignored everything other than what they wanted to see. The Assassins were the ones who lurked in the shadows, watching all. The stealth-skills the Assassins mastered over the years were very dangerous.

Evando looked up at the Acropolis; an ancient citadel located on a high rocky outcrop above the city. For once, it weren't the buildings that intrigued him – they weren't the ones that lured him towards the Acropolis. It were the rocks – or what lay beneath the rocks. The Acropolis was located near the Vasco Bank and the Court of Justice, it was located in the centre of the city. The red/brown-ish bricks that created the wall to defend the Acropolis from whatever attack it had in store for it, made it look beautiful.

The Templar walked past the Propylaea; the entrance to the Acropolis. For a moment he stood still in front of it, watching the people walking up and down the white stairs. Some were sitting on them, resting. He noticed the guards standing next to the pillars. Their backs were straight and their faces serious. Their eyes watched everything, studied every person, sometimes yelled at one of the people to walk on. When their eyes met with the spot Evando stood, he had already left it. He didn't have to go up the stairs today, he didn't have to admire the Parthenon or the temple of Athena Nike – something he loved to do in his spare time. It was something about the architecture that amazed him.

The Cave of Zeus, as the people who knew of it called it, was located in the shadows of the Acropolis. The entrance was hidden between rocks, making it impossible to detect from a distance. The only reason Evando spotted the entrance almost immediately was because he knew it was there. If he hadn't been blessed with this information, he surely would have walked past it – like everyone else did.

While Evando strayed from the path, strolling over the green grass, looking over his shoulder if someone was watching him, he noticed the scenic sky above him. The sun was shining fiercely down on him; she was a cruel mistress today. The rays were touching everything that could be touched, illuminating like a fire that couldn't die. Sometimes a cloud would pass by it, making the world remember once more that there was still darkness inside it.

Upon entry, a sword was pointed at his throat. The man who was wielding it carried a bitter expression on his face, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Can you point that elsewhere?" Evando said calmly, as if it was not a problem that a man was threatening him with a sword.

The guard – which he was – lowered his sword to a certain section below the belt, stopping there. The man glared defiantly. It was a spot where a man certainly did not want a sharp object near.

"Better?" the guard asked, he had a thick accent which revealed he came from somewhere near the suburbs.

Evando quirked a brow. "Not really." He was about to reveal his name to this Templar guard when another guard appeared from inside the cave – well, one couldn't call it a cave, really. It seemed more like a stone hallway with a couple of symbols written in the stone.

"Dax, let him through. He is with us," the other guard demanded.

Evando glanced from the cave-hallway back to the man whose name was apparently Dax. Dax, however, just sheathed his sword, crossed his arms and leaned against the stone without bothering himself once more with the sight of a rich templar lad.

"Just walk on and you will see it," the guard muttered as he stepped aside to let Evando pass him by. Evando just nodded and did as he was told.

The cave-hallway wasn't as long – and spacious – as he had expected. Nevertheless, it was just a intriguing as he had thought. The symbols were definitely something he would decipher any day. Not this day, however. He came here for a reason.

The hallway led into some kind of room. The room was just a liveable as the hallway – it seemed like this cave was made by the hands of men. The only indication of this being a cave was the ceiling, that looked moistened and rocky. The smell too – even though the burned candles and fire covered the cave-smell.

The walls of the room looked just like the hallway – they had symbols too. The room was rounder and more spacious. Three people were in the room. Two of them were guards, standing with their backs towards the hallway, the other one was a man, covering his identity behind a black cloak. He wore a long, red/gold rectangular cloth around his neck that could have been a scarf if he had tied the ends. It was made of some sort fabric that looked like satin, but probably wasn't as soft. The air around this man was no more than danger. He looked sinister; as if something bad was about to happen by him.

It was the Grand Master himself. He was the one who noticed this cave a long time ago with something he called his 'second sight'.

The scarf wasn't the only thing he wore around his neck, a necklace that only contained silver cross was there too. The symbol of the Templars.

Evando stood a few metres away from him, his eyes glancing around the odd room. "Your guard is barking. I am impressed."

The Grand Master straightened his back, making him even more broader than he was. "That is what I wanted. When our men will return to the city, you will not recognize them, Evando. I have hardened them, making sure there is no weakness in them and that they truly believe in our cause." His voice was low pitched, making him even more frightening. If Evando had learned one thing from the Grand Master it was that he was unpredictable. That made him dangerous for his next move could either harm you or not. He was a man prepared to die for the Templars, no matter what. This made him a respectable man.

The Grand Master turned towards Evando – his face was covered by a hood, only the tip of his nose could be seen in this poor-lit room. "Before we begin, how was Italy?"

Evando narrowed his eyes for a moment, thinking back at the trip. "It was rough."

"So I've heard."

"I lost a lot of men, sadly," Evando said without showing any emotion. However, it was always sad to lose anyone.

"Because of the Assassins?"

Evando nodded his head. "One in particularly. I talked to Rodrigo Borgia."

The Grand Master nodded his head. "Ah, Rodrigo. How is he?"

"He is dead. But when I talked to him he told me about a certain Assassin named Ezio Auditore, who was giving the Templars a hard time."

The Grand Master was silent for a moment. "This Assassin murdered Rodrigo?"

Evando shook his head. "No. He had... family problems. He got too greedy, anyway."

The Grand Master sighed deeply. "Ah, yes. A mistake that is made by a lot of men, and will be made by a lot more. Power can make any man turn into a mindless being. It corrupts. Rodrigo was one of our best until he forgot the purpose of the Templars." He was silent for a moment. "A minor setback. But do not worry, where there are Assassins, there will be Templars. Where there is too much freedom, there will be chaos and Templars will intervene, eventually. Even if the people who intervene do not know who or what we are, they are born as one of us and die as one us." He made hand gesture towards the stone wall in front of them. It was the only wall in the room that did not have any symbols on it. The wall had layers on it but no holes. Different images of people were imprinted in it.

"Is this the door?" Evando asked, amazed by it. It seemed to him like a normal wall.

The Grand Master nodded his head. "A door made by gods. Tell me what you see, Evando."

Evando knew that this was the permission to investigate the door, so he walked towards it. With every step he took, the air thickened around him. It was as if something was pushing itself against his chest, making it hard to breathe. He was sure that whatever it was that was causing this, it didn't want him to get closer.

He stopped before the door, his eyes glancing over every little detail it had. He was a little out of breath. It was a large door, Evando had to crane his neck to look at the top. The details were fine and beautiful, no mistakes were made. It was just old, and that was visible. "I believe it are the gods who are imprinted on this door," he mumbled. He slowly placed his hands on the stone material – something he should not have done. The symbols all around the room and the hallway suddenly started to glow a golden/orange light. Evando felt heat coming off the door, on his hand. At first, it felt pleasant. Then, it became too hot and he had to pull his hand away. The heat continued until the palm of his hand was burned as if he had touched fire. The pain was excruciating.

"Argh," he growled and stepped back from the door. He was holding his wrist in his unburned hand. "How are we supposed to open this door when we cannot touch it?"

The Grand Master looked keenly at the door. "That does not matter. Have you found some kind of keyhole? An indication that this door can be opened?" His eyes glanced back at Evando, who shook his head.

"I am quite sure that this door can be opened, but I think we need something powerful to do the trick. Something that has to do with this." He had crossed his arms too, ignoring the pain is his hand.

The Grand Master nodded his head. "I thought so, too. We should look into old legends, myths, folklores and books. Maybe we can find anything about this particular door."

Evando nodded his head in agreement. "I will spread the word." He bowed his head and was about to walk into the hallway when the Grand Master said his name.

"Yes?" He waited patiently until he had spoken.

"Be careful and be silent about this. We don't want the Assassins to intervene."

Evando gave him a nod. "Of course." With that, he walked out of the cave.

* * *

Vitoria was a little surprised when she arrived at the Great Plaza. This morning she thought to herself to go to the market to buy some food and maybe some other things. But the market wasn't there.

She frowned as she watched the plaza carefully. A lot of people had gathered themselves in front of the gallows. Guards were placed between the crowd and the gallows, there were guards placed on the stand.

The gallows were being used.

Vitoria blinked. It wasn't the first time she had seen it happen, but it was the first time this happened on this particular day. She almost dropped the basket she was holding – for some reason this was not good. Most of the times, the gallows were used once a month, maybe twice. But this was already the second time this week.

"You just missed the king's speech," a man mumbled from behind her. She turned around and saw a concerned Sam looking directly at her. She turned back around and he stood next to her.

"What did he say?" she asked.

"He will get the beggars and the homeless off the streets and into a house. The poorest part of Athens, there will they go. It is already called Beggar Street. They will live under wood and blankets, no walls," he mumbled.

"But they will have a roof?"

Sam nodded his head. "Yes. Sort of. He also said he will hang the criminals. No matter the age."

Vitoria watched as two men and a woman were walking up the wooden steps, their eyes watching their feet. They were neatly placed on the stand; each got a noose around their necks. When one of the guards said their names and their conviction, their eyes finally locked onto the crowd – probably searching for familiar faces.

"In the name of the king, I hereby sentence you all to death."

A guard pulled a lever. The crowd mourned. A kid was crying. Legs were dangling. Necks were broken.

Vitoria turned her head towards Sam whose eyes were still watching the gallows. His fists were clenched. He was mad. Who could blame him?

"So the king kills more criminals and he creates Beggar Street to home the homeless. It seems like he is walking away from his brutal method. Maybe everything will be better."

Sam turned his head, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Is that what you believe?" he spat.

Vitoria simply returned his gaze. "It is what I want to believe, Sam."

Sam's shoulder rolled back and he calmed himself. "I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

X

"Look who has returned! The food lady." It was Ion who had said it. Vitoria had just locked the door of the mansion when the voice interrupted her thoughts. It came from the kitchen. On her way back from the Great Plaza, and the couple of shops she entered to get the food she needed, she hadn't seen one beggar on the streets. Which was odd for she always saw beggars at every corner she turned.

She entered the kitchen where Ion, Leon, Dryas and Alvar were sitting at the table, as if they had waited for her return. She just had to place the basket on the table and Ion was already putting the food in the right spot. Dryas immediately grabbed an apple. She had bought the typical things like bread – a lot of bread, the Assassins ate a lot of it –, fruit, meat and vegetables.

"I didn't buy it at the market though," she mumbled as she helped Ion.

"You didn't buy it at the market?" Leon asked with a frown.

"Why not?" Dryas mumbled with a piece of apple still in his mouth.

When the basket was empty, she put it on the ground, in a corner, so that no one could fall because of it. She knew how painful that was. "No, the gallows were in use."

Ion almost dropped the bread he was holding. "The gallows?"

"Again?" Leon blinked. "That must be the second time this week."

While his friends were still recovering from this information, Alvar asked: "Vitoria, did the king say anything else?" His golden eyes flashed from under his hood. Vitoria could see most of his face.

She nodded, her eyes never straying from Alvar's. "He is changing the poorest part of Athens into 'Beggar Street'. He is basically putting every beggar in Athens there, to get them a roof above their heads."

Ion narrowed his eyes. He had put the bread on the kitchen counter. "That is a noble deed..."

Vitoria nodded her head. "Sam believes the king has hidden intentions with this change. He doesn't know what."

"Sam is that talking man with a death wish on the Great Plaza, right?" Dryas asked before taking another bite off his apple.

Vitoria nodded.

"Well," Alvar started, his eyes slowly meeting Vitoria's. "Maybe Sam is right."


	13. Assassination

**Hey guyz!**

**Yeah, another chappie. Whoohoo. It's been a while - which is because from here on I have no idea what will happen. I know how this story will end, just have no clue how to get there. xd I'll figure it out eventually. **

**MrJaffaJack: Ah that sucks. And, what did you think of Unity (and Rogue - I haven't played that one)? Even though everyone's complaining about the bugs and all, I loved Unity. Like a lot. Idc about any glitches, idc if Arno walks through a bunch of people or walls. The game was hella amazing. **

**kykyxstandler: Yeah. We like to see dem templars burn. waitwhat. o.o**

**Anyway, have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

Alvar's eyes were staring at the ceiling of his bedchambers. The soft colours of the chamber he had to share with Ion were pleasant for his eyes. It wasn't really decorated. He couldn't care less about decoration. Adonai was a man who seemed to enjoy decorations. The paintings and statues in the hallway were an example of this.

Alvar placed his hands behind his head as he continued to stare at nothing, letting his mind wander. He had thought about the words Vitoria had spoken, about the speech of the king. He went to Beggar Street to see for himself what the fuss was about. Beggar Street was now the poorest part of Athens, people were living under blankets and pieces of wood. But they were living under _something_. He had thought about the words of this friend of Vitoria's, Sam. He, too, felt there was something off about this situation – the king wasn't like this. But then again, maybe Zephyr Vasco finally decided to change Greece in something it should've been a long time ago.

Finally, he let his mind wander to a certain subject that had bothered him the last couple of days. He didn't know why but sometimes it just popped up in his head and it would not leave. He told himself he had stepped in because it had been Lazar, a man he hated a lot. What if he hadn't stepped in because of Lazar? What if he had stepped in because of something else? Because _someone_ else?

He had covered this particularly subject so many times that he wasn't so sure anymore. And that bothered him. He was being affected in a way he had never experienced before. And he wanted it to stop. Whatever it was that was doing this to him; _stop_. He could hear Adonai's voice in his head from years ago: _Women are a distraction, Alvar. Don't let them cloud your mind, or judgement, that is._

"Hello?" the voice of his roommate snapped him back to the real world. Ion was towering over him, waving his hand like an idiot in front of Alvar's eyes. "Do you have a physical disorder I am not aware of? Are you sleeping with your eyes open?"

Like an eagle catching his prey in midflight, Alvar grabbed his friend's wrist and made him stop waving. He sat up straight on his bed. When his boots touched the ground he let go of Ion's wrist. Alvar wiped a hand over his face, trying to clear his mind at the same time.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked as he moved himself to the desk where he had put the book he was currently reading.

Alvar shook his head. "No." He took another moment until he rose to his feet, turning his head towards Ion, who was sitting in the chair, feet placed on the desk and the book in his hands. His usual reading-position. "What do you want from me?"

"I do not want anything from you. However, Adonai does. He wants to speak to you," Ion answered, his eyes flickered from behind his book.

Alvar gave his friend a nod and exited his bedchamber. He walked through the fancy-decorated hallway and as he neared the library, he noticed the doors were open. An indication that Adonai wasn't there or wasn't busy. Even though Alvar had ignored the closed doors at all times.

The familiar creak of the floorboards broke the silence in the library as Alvar stepped inwards. He glanced at the bureau where Adonai had been waiting on him. He gestured to close the doors and Alvar obeyed. Then, he bowed his head and eyed his Master questioningly.

"Piers Kalivas," Adonai said as he rose to his feet, clasping his hands behind his back. He eyed his pupil intently. "That is your next victim. He has to be assassinated for he means nothing but trouble to us."

Alvar quickly glanced at the floorboards. "Piers Kalivas." He tasted the words on his tongue, trying to figure out whether this man was familiar to him or not. He got nothing so he looked back at his Mentor. "Who is he?"

Adonai sucked in a deep breath as he turned around and walked past his desk, gazing down at the documents that were lying on it. "Piers Kalivas is currently an officer in the City Watch. If something happened to the Head of the City Watch, he would be the replacement." His eyes followed the lines that had been written on the papers on the desk and, finally, Adonai looked up at Alvar. "I have reason to believe he is working with the Templars. I am trusting you this mission, Alvar. Do not let me down."

Alvar's eyes sparkled from under his hood. It had been too long. "I won't, Master."

X

Alvar was standing behind a wooden palisade as the two guards he had been following for over an hour stopped walking and leaned against the other side of the palisade. Alvar had been eavesdropping on their conversation, trying to get some sort of information that could lead him to Piers. Unfortunately, the guards had been talking about their wives instead of Piers.

The Assassin wore his white/brown robes. His mouth was covered with a black cloth – only his eyes were visible. He had two short swords sheathed at both sides of his belt, a knife was strapped to his thigh and his throwing-knives were fastened at the back. Of course, he had taken his hidden blades with him as well. This was the gear he usual took with him on mission such as these.

Alvar was about to change his approach – he had been listening for too long to these two guards who hadn't said anything useful, so he was getting really annoyed. He looked up at the palisade, thinking of a way to make them talk, when they finally started a conversation he was interested in.

"So, you think Kalivas will hurt the kid?" The brute asked slightly concerned. Alvar knew the man had a kid himself – he had told the other guard this.

The guard shrugged. "Can't tell ya. The kid stole his pouch. You know yourself how he doesn't like to be outsmarted."

"Hmpf," came the reply of the brute. "It's just a kid."

"A thief nonetheless. That boy will face the gallows soon enough."

The brute crossed his arms, knowing that he couldn't do anything about it. "If only I was sittin' at a fancy desk, reading stupid documents in the State." The brute referred to the State-building, a building located in the west of Athens. It was a building where the council of the king came together. The brute had talked about it before in his other conversations with his mate – he had explained it.

Finally, Alvar knew where he was needed.

It took him a little while to get to the building. The purple sky had transformed into a sea of darkness. The stars and the moon were hiding behind clouds that, in the daytime had been white and cotton-like, but at night-time had changed into streams of gray. This gave Athens a hazy and ominous feel to it.

Alvar had been running on top of the State-building, trying to locate his target. The State-building looked like a typical-Greek building from the front, but it had three sides: the horizontal front-side and the two vertical sides which were proportional to each other.

Piers Kalivas was located on the third floor, in an office located at the end of a hallway. There was, however, a window open on the second floor.

He climbed down and waited until one of the guards, who was guarding the room, had passed the window. Then the Assassin jumped in and walked stealthily after the guard.

The guard never saw it coming.

While Alvar had silenced the guard and placed him somewhere out of sight, he had focused himself on the next room, which contained the staircase that went up towards the third floor. It also contained three guards. One was leaning on the guardrail, looking down onto the first floor, one was staring occasionally out of the window and the last guard walked around. Three guards. Attached to his belt he had three throwing-knives. He knew what to do.

Alvar waited until one of the guards stared out of the window, then stepped in the room with his throwing-knives in his hand. He threw the first throwing-knife in the chest of the man who had been walking, the second hit the guard who had been leaning on the guardrail in the head, making him collapse onto the ground. The clattering sound of swords hitting the ground could be heard.

The guard who had been standing at the window had heard the noise and jerked his head to the sound of his mates. He didn't get a chance to realize what was happening for Alvar ran to him and snapped his neck in a blink of an eye.

While the Assassin collected his throwing-knives, he watched the floor beneath him carefully. But there wasn't a guard that decided to walk up the stairs. He doubted if the guards had heard the noise in the first place.

He wiped the blood off his knives and reattached them on his belt. Then he walked quietly up the stairs and started to clear the third floor from the guards. He did not kill all of them, but couldn't spare every man's life.

When he was finally standing in front of the door where his target, Piers Kalivas, was located, he waited and turned around. He scanned the room and noted every potential exit. He doubted that Piers would overpower him. Then, finally, he swung the door open.

A thirty-year-old man sat in a chair, writing some sort of paper, when Alvar barged in. He looked up and, with difficulty, grabbed the Assassin's wrist where a blade was pointing right at him. The chair he had been sitting on fell backwards and clattered onto the ground. Piers followed the blade to the eyes of the Assassin – the only thing that made this man human.

"I can offer you a lot of money if you are willing to spare me," Piers negotiated while his strength was failing him.

Alvar pushed him hard against a bookcase, causing a couple of books to fall on the ground. "I am not interested," he growled. However, Piers had a knife attached to his belt and he had grabbed it. He tried to stab Alvar, but the Assassin parried that attack with his arm.

Suddenly, the two of them were struggling. Both of them got banged against walls and got blows from their opponent. They tried to kill each other until Alvar got an opportunity to kill the man with his hidden blade.

A little out of breath, Alvar placed the lifeless body of Piers on the ground as the man was choking on his own blood. He gave him a nod and finally Piers stopped struggling; he puffed out his last breath.

Alvar rose to his feet – he felt a little bruised. He noticed the documents lying on the desk Piers had been sitting and searched it swiftly. There was only one paper that interested him. It was a letter Piers had been working on when he interrupted. There were no names in it, just the letters _G.M _(abbreviated for Grand Master). While he read the letter, he felt worry bubbling up inside him.

The letter mentioned that the Templars had trained some sort of army. It said that this 'army' would enter Athens soon. Soon.

"When is 'soon'?" Alvar muttered questionably.

Then his head snapped towards the fully-opened door. He heard the sound of running boots and shouts. Guards had discovered their non-functional mates.

The shouts became louder and the guards ran to the office of Piers. The first thing they noticed was the mess, then the body and finally, an open window.


	14. Rescue Mission

**Yo yo yo!**

**Back again whoohoo. So Imma just leave this here.**

**kykyxstandler: yeah, Alvar is a sweetiepie. He can be so cute when he's not serious 'nd all. =3**

**MrJaffaJack: Damn. I need to get Rogue. I need to know what the ending is. xd Anyway, Ubisoft fixed the bugs with a patch a while back so that's why you ain't getting no bugsies =D. Praise Ubisoft for making Dead Kings free, which was out like two days ago. I have only played the first mission, though. Atm I am addicted to Dragon Age: Inquisition. And I totally agree on the Christmas part. Or the January sale for that matter. 4 great games, 100 euros. Thank god for my brother who has the same taste in games as myself. Actually, I'm very evil. He buys the games, I play them. :D And thank you =]**

**As usual, have a nice day and enjoy.**

* * *

Vitoria yawned as she leaned on the guardrail of her balcony. She watched as the first hued rays of sunrise fell over the city, letting the people know that a new day was starting. She sighed as she watched as the city slowly woke up, then she turned around and stepped off the balcony, closing the French doors behind her.

As she walked out of her bedchamber, her eyes drifted towards the painting Arastoo saved from her house. She had placed it on the ground for she hadn't felt like hanging it on the wall just yet.

She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to get something to eat, when she heard footsteps in the hallway, a door closing and sounds that came from most likely the library. It were voices. It hadn't been her intention to eavesdrop on the conversation, but her feet had already carried her to the doorway of the kitchen. She glanced into the hallway, seeing that the doors of the library were still open. Vitoria focused herself on the voices.

"... he imprisoned a kid. Then they told me of his whereabouts – Kalivas had been in the State." That was definitely Alvar who was talking. He continued: "The deed is done, however, I found something on his desk that troubles me." It sounded as if he was unfolding a paper.

It was silent for a moment – he was most likely talking to Adonai, who was reading the paper he gave him.

"This is indeed troubling," Adonai mumbled. Another moment of silence. "Very well, Alvar. You may leave, close the doors behind you. I need to think this through."

"Yes, Master," he replied in a monotone voice. She heard him stepping away and closing the doors behind him – just as he was told.

Vitoria put away the food she was holding and ran after him. Alvar already heard her and turned around to face her. His hood wasn't covering his face and for a moment she forgot what the hell she was doing.

"What is it?" he asked tiredly. He had been up all night to complete the mission Adonai gave him.

Vitoria blinked a couple of times and glanced away from his golden orbs that seemed to study every movement of hers. Then she remembered why she ran after him in the first place. "That boy... Did you save him?" She understood from the story that he had assassinated Piers Kalivas, one of Arastoo's men, and that he had imprisoned a little boy.

Alvar's eyes narrowed upon hearing her question, understanding that she had been eavesdropping on his conversation with the Mentor. He quirked his brow.

Vitoria eyed back. "What? This whole place is crowded with eavesdroppers. Moreover, you should close the library doors." Alvar still watched her quietly, so she decided to repeat the question.

"He was not my mission," he finally replied with no emotion whatsoever.

"So you did not save him?"

"No. I assassinate people, I do not save them."

Vitoria wanted to roll her eyes but restrained herself from doing so. "You only save the people who _matter, _right?"

"Right." This wasn't true, but Alvar was too tired to give a lecture about the Assassins and their beliefs. He watched as she turned around and walked away when he said her name. She stopped without turning around.

"This does not mean that he is _your_ mission. Don't do anything stupid." She didn't respond, just walked away and entered the kitchen to do whatever she had been doing.

Alvar turned around as well and walked through the hallway, then entering his own bedchamber which was empty. It was morning and he was tired. He lay down on his bed, throwing his robes in the corner of the room and closed his eyes. He felt the bruises he had caught while fighting Piers hurting on his body. He had worse. It didn't take him long to fall asleep.

* * *

She was doing something stupid. No doubt about it, she was the biggest idiot alive at the moment. At the mansion she had thought this through and it had sounded much better then. However, she was currently walking through the streets of Athens, her mind was racing over her plan and she wasn't so sure anymore. Her plan had been really simple: walk to the State, get the boy. They probably wouldn't give him to her that easily – so she had brought some money with her. She didn't know what to do with it anyway. She just hoped the boy was there in the first place. If he wasn't... Well, then she had to ask Arastoo if he knew something about the boy.

It was a stupid plan, but for some reason she did it anyway. Maybe because she just had so much time on her hands – no, that wasn't it. She did it because she stood for nothing. Her father, the Assassins, even the Templars had something they lived for. _She_ _just wanted to do something useful. _

Vitoria gave a little shiver as the breeze brushed past her cheeks. Her eyes caught the majestic building from afar. In some of the windows she could see the candles illuminating the room. Her eyes couldn't see the guards just yet – she was too far away and it was too dark to see. Maybe going to the State in the evening hadn't been such a great idea.

She walked steadier as she past the ordinary houses where most of the people had gone to bed. She was still amazed that she hadn't seen any beggar on any street – they had all listened to the king (some with force, probably).

Vitoria quirked her brow when she was standing on the first step of a stairs that lead to the entrance. Where were the guards?

She looked around, but there was no one who seemed to be interested. No guards in the street either. Weird. Her eyes glanced back to the door and she noticed one of the doors wasn't even fully closed.

Hesitantly, she pushed the door further open but something blocked it from opening completely. Nevertheless, she found a way to wriggle through. Her eyes fell on the blockage and she realized that she was looking at one of the guards. When she looked a little further around the room, she noticed more guards were lying on the ground. They were still breathing, fortunately, but they didn't seem to take action anytime soon.

"I explicitly said to not do anything stupid." The voice came from out of nowhere and startled her. She gave a stifled cry, her hand covering her mouth as she turned around to face the Assassin. Alvar.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed quietly. Vitoria was aware of the fact that there were more floors in this building. More floors meant more guards.

"I could ask you the same question," he said, quirking a brow. Alvar was wearing a black cloth in front of his mouth, so his eyes were only visible. However, Vitoria could have recognized him anywhere.

She rolled her eyes. "I came here for the boy. Your turn."

Alvar glanced around the room before locking eyes on her. "I am helping you from getting yourself killed."

"I would have done just fine without you." Alvar wasn't convinced, so Vitoria continued: "Anyway, have you seen the boy?"

The Assassin grabbed a set of keys from his belt and showed it to her. "We will soon enough." He gestured to follow her and Vitoria did. She accepted the unwanted help and decided that it was for the better – she probably would've screwed it up anyway.

The two of them walked silently through the enormous and luxurious hallway. Alvar stopped as he placed his hand on the door that lead to the backyard of the building. He looked at the door and the walls as Vitoria frowned.

"Looking at walls isn't _that_ helping, you know," she commented a little confused. Alvar turned his head and Vitoria discovered that this man wasn't all serious – his eyes had gained an amused spark she had never seen before.

"I am not looking at walls," he replied simply and then opened the door, grabbing something – or _someone_ – and closed the door after he pulled the guard through the opening of the door. Without flinching, Alvar had choked the man until he was unconscious and placed him against the wall – as if he was just sleeping.

Vitoria was a little shocked. She was aware of the fact that he was an Assassin and he had to be like this in order to not get killed. But still. She wasn't used to seeing things like this. "How did you know he was there?" she mumbled quietly.

"Like I said, I wasn't looking _at_ walls." He gestured to her, he needed her to come closer – so Vitoria listened to him and walked towards him. If he wasn't looking _at_ walls... No, that cannot be. There is no way that a person could see _through_ walls, right?

_Right?_

In all honesty, she wouldn't be that surprised if he could. These Assassins were walking this earth on a whole other level. She looked up at him when she was standing next to him.

"There are guards in the backyard. Just follow my example and you should be fine," he gave her a quick glance as she nodded her head. They waited for a couple of minutes and then Alvar opened the door without making any sounds whatsoever. He watched his surroundings carefully and gestured with his hand that she could follow him.

Vitoria tried to walk as silently as Alvar, which was impossible to do. She surprised to see two guards standing in front of them, their backs turned to the both of them, their eyes gazing at the backyard. If she took five steps forward, she could touch either of them.

Alvar noticed her panicked glance at the guards and he put his finger in front of the black cloth that covered his lips, then he gestured towards the right. Vitoria's eyes glanced briefly across the backyard, noticing a couple of other guards standing between the perfectly trimmed hedges. They weren't paying attention to the building – or the entrance for that matter. No guard expected two people coming out of the well-guarded entrance. Then she followed Alvar's pointed finger towards the stairs that probably led down to the prison.

When Alvar had closed the door with the same stealth, he took the first step and Vitoria followed with a heart that was beating loudly – loud enough for her to feel panicked for the guards could have heard it too. As they increased the distance between the guards and reduced the distance between them and the stairs, Vitoria got a little calmer. She was glad that pillars were casting shadows, making them look like a figment of one's imagination – just a couple of walking shadows.

When the both of them walked down the stairs, Vitoria let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Does this lead to the prison?" she asked, her eyes gazing upwards, expecting guards to appear any minute now. They didn't.

"It does. Stay here," Alvar had already disappeared into the darkness of the prison before Vitoria could reply anything. She sighed and waited as her eyes were still gazing towards the first step of the stairs.

It didn't take him long to return. "It's clear. Come. The kid is here too."

Vitoria followed him down the stairs, into the darkness. There was only one torch lit in this whole prison – and when she walked past a couple of cells she understood why. There was only one prisoner.

The woman hugged herself as a shiver ran down her spine. "It's freezing in here," she muttered under her breath. It wasn't just cold, it also stank. A lot.

When they came to the last cell – the one that was dimly lit by the torch – Vitoria peered in and searched the cell for the boy. She found him sitting with his back against the wall, knees drawn up to his chin, his forehead rested on his knees and he had put his arms around his legs.

The boy raised his head upon hearing the jingle of the keys. Vitoria was surprised as she realized this was the same boy she rescued from a group of City Watch men, a little while back.

When she finally found the right key and turned the lock, opening the door completely, she gave Alvar a quick glance before returning her gaze on the boy. She was about to say something, when the boy rose to his feet and sprinted out of his cell. For a moment, the faint sounds of him running up the stone steps was the only sound that filled the prison. Then, all was silent.

"Can you believe it? This was the second time I rescued his ass and he doesn't even show a little bit of appreciation." She gave Alvar a keen look and then sighed, dropping the attitude. "Oh well. He is out. We should get going." Vitoria was about to take the first step towards the stairs, when Alvar grabbed her wrist, making her freeze in her movements. The Assassin pulled her back, his eyes narrowed.

"Guards are coming," he hissed as his mind was racing with potential escaping plans.

Vitoria frowned and after a couple of seconds listening intently, she heard the heavy boots coming down the stairs. Did the kid gave away their position? Or did one of the guards entered the building? It didn't matter now – they were trapped in a prison. One way in, one way out.

A wave of panic washed over her as her eyes were glued to the end of the cold hallway they were standing in. "What do we do?" she hissed back.

Alvar grabbed the torch from the wall. "I hope you can find your way in the dark," he mumbled. Then he dropped the torch on the floor, putting out the already weak flame. The room was now completely filled in darkness.


	15. Smooth Escape

**Hey!**

**Back again, just to leave this here y'know. Don't have anything to tell you sooo...**

**The Forgotten Reader: Lol you don't have to apologize for that. :) It's not like you have to do it - but I appreciate it nonetheless. And your Phone gone? That suckssss... =/**

**MrJaffaJack: Hahaha you know what's up. Stupid kid. And yes. I can't wait 'till that is the case. =D**

**kykyxstandler: yeah they cute together. I love them. :]**

**Anyway, hope you have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

The prison walls were cold and moist as Vitoria's fingers traced it hard surface. The darkness had consumed everything – even if she held her own hand in front of her eyes, she could not see it. Apparently there had been a door she had failed to notice that separated the stairs and the prison from each other – and that door had been shut. She did not know who shut it – the only thing she did know was that it had made the already dark room even more darker.

With each step she took, she placed her feet carefully on the ground, making sure that she wasn't stepping on something. After five steps or so, she was highly aware of the fact that something was standing in her way. Vitoria narrowed her eyes, trying to see the thing that was blocking her way.

"Come." In this room it had sounded as Alvar had screamed it, even though it had been merely a whisper. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the wall – away from her comfort zone – and into the nothingness of the dark. The sounds that came from the other side of the closed door was the only sound there was. It also made Vitoria realize that it had been Alvar who had closed the door – and probably locked it.

Alvar had led her into what she assumed to be the other side of the prison. He had increased the distance between them and the door.

Then, they stopped walking. After a couple of seconds she realized they stopped walking because they were standing at another end of a corridor. Vitoria was startled when the door busted open and the sounds were suddenly echoing through the underground prison.

"I can't see a damned thing. Hey! Bring a lantern when you get down he-" The guard who had been yelling stopped talking when he had turned around. "Oh, my apologies, sir. I did not see you there, sir."

The light of the lantern illuminated little when this 'sir' stepped into sight. It was enough for them to see where they put their feet, however, they could not see the two shadows at the end of the corridor.

"Was I foolish to think that someone here was on duty?" Vitoria recognized the voice immediately and finally could pick out some facial featured of the man. It was Arastoo Bronte.

"No, sir. He is probably taking a piss or something," the guard answered.

Vitoria felt a slight change in the position of Alvar and, without knowing if she would succeed, reached in the darkness, only to find Alvar's wrist in her hand. His muscles were tensed, but he had stopped walking. She knew what he was planning to do – that was why she reached for him.

"I know this man. He is a friend of mine. Please, do not harm him," she whispered softly, hoping none of the guards had heard her speak.

"Then we must wait here," Alvar replied. Vitoria was a little surprised of how close he had been to her as he said it. Luckily, it was dark, otherwise he may had seen her flushed cheeks. She took a step back, placing her back against the wall as her eyes glanced back at Arastoo, who had stepped away from the guard, towards the other side of the prison. He raised his lantern, so that the candlelight could illuminate the cell where the boy had been sitting in. The guard noticed the unlocked cell door too.

"I believe we are missing two things here," Arastoo mumbled as he looked around him.

"Do you want us to go after the boy, sir?" the guard asked.

Arastoo sighed as he glanced back into the cell. "No. We have better things to do than keeping a child locked up in here. Just find me the guard who should have watched the kid. I'd like a word with him."

"Yes, sir."

The two men walked back to the door and while the guard disappeared through it, Arastoo waited a moment. His head turned in the direction of Vitoria and Alvar, eyes narrowing. She felt Alvar tense beside her as Arastoo looked their way. Then, the man strolled on, closing the door behind him.

Vitoria let out a breath and closed her eyes for a moment as she leaned against the cold wall. That was nerve-racking. Beside her she heard Alvar move, but could not see anything.

"We have to wait until this place is crowded. There are too many guards posted outside; we will be detected." It wasn't true. He would not be detected, _she_ would. He was kind enough to say _we_, although she knew.

"How long do we have to wait?" she asked.

"Not long."

* * *

Two hours. They had to wait for two freaking hours in the darkest of places. In a prison. Two hours in a place like that didn't feel like two hours – it felt like seven hours. Vitoria was glad when Alvar unlocked the door with the keys he still had from the 'missing' guard and opened the door to the stairs. The faint light of the sun was blinding as the two of them silently walked up the stairs.

Alvar had been right – the place was crowded. Alright, not _that_ crowded, but there was an adequate amount of people where they could blend in to. And that was exactly what they did. When the guards weren't looking, they ran towards the backyard where a group of people were standing and they blended in. They walked unnoticed past the green bushes of the backyard, trying to stay near the unfamiliar people.

This worked well until, for some reason, _someone_, called out Vitoria's name. Alvar vanished in the crowd as if he had never been there. She turned around.

It took her a moment to realize who had been calling out her name and then she blinked.

"Arastoo," she mumbled, hoping she wouldn't screw this conversation up.

His polite manner should have made her relax a little – it didn't. She felt like she committed a horrible crime – even though she hadn't. Not a horrible one, anyway.

"I didn't know you were invited," he said with a frown. He cocked his head a little and glanced in her direction.

"Invited?" she mumbled dumbly.

Arastoo nodded his head. "Yes. The memorial service for Piers Kalivas." _O, is that what this is?_

Vitoria looked around to the people who walked by. A memorial service. Oh.

"Now that I think about it, your name wasn't on the list." His eyes narrowed a little, indicating that he was a little suspicious.

"That is because I wasn't." She had no idea where this sentence would have ended. And it ended poorly. Now she had to make up a story – and she was out of ideas.

"So, what are you doing here then?" He was still polite, his eyes were the only things that told her he – somehow – knew what she had done. Or suspected it anyway.

Vitoria's mind raced as her imagination tried to make up a believable story, when an arm was pulled around her and she was suddenly standing beside a man.

"She arrived here with me. We came here to look into the library." The man whose arm was pulled around her, wasn't the man she expected it to be. It was Evando Kellis, who was saving her ass at the moment. She was shocked, although she tried not to show it. She smiled as confidently as possible while at the same time trying to block the one sentence that was repeating itself in her head: _He is a Templar._

"Oh," Arastoo mumbled as he glanced at Evando. "My apologies. I did not know you two arrived here together."

With a simple hand gesture, Evando let the man know he wasn't to blame. "It is fine. You are just doing what is asked of you."

Arastoo gave the pair one final glance, before muttering: "Well, I'll leave you be,", bowing his head and left them standing in the backyard.

Vitoria watched carefully as the Head of the City Watch strolled along the people, keeping an eye on everything. She then turned to Evando who let go of her. "Thank you," she said in a soft voice.

Evando chuckled lightly. "Not a problem. If I have learned anything from our time together it is that you couldn't lie for one bit. You still can't. So you want to tell me why you're here?"

"Ehm... Not really?"

"That's fine, too, of course." They both walked back towards the building, talking a bit, until they were standing in the room where a couple of hours ago Vitoria had found a lot of men unconscious on the ground. Now, however, the guards had doubled, but no one was lying on the ground.

Vitoria had noticed something. "Since when do you wear gloves? And why are you wearing only one?"

Evando held up his right hand that was covered in the black glove. He seemed amused. "I'm trying out something new," he said with a grin.

She was surprised. "Well, it is... different. Anyway, I should get going."

"Yes, me too. Books are waiting. I'll see you around, Vitoria." He gave her a warm smile, before turning around and walking towards the stairs.

"See you around..." she muttered more to herself for Evando was already out of earshot. _Since when did Evando get in to books? _She shook the odd feeling and exited the building. For a moment she wondered where Alvar had gone to, but she decided it was better to not think about that now.

She neared the Great Plaza as she realized she hadn't seen a lot of people passing her by. She got her answer soon enough as the Plaza was filled with people. Her eyes immediately glanced over towards the gallows, but fortunately there were no bodies swinging in the breeze. She decided to figure out what was happening and pushed a couple of people gently aside when she suddenly was standing behind Sam _and_ Sophia. The two knew each other, of course.

"What is going on?" she whispered for the Plaza was too quiet for her liking. She noticed the guards that were stationed before the Court of Justice. This happened only when...

"The king is about to give a speech," Sam muttered after turning around to see who had asked the question.

Vitoria wanted to say something else, but got interrupted by the nervous whispers of the people around her. Her eyes glanced towards the balcony of the Court of Justice – the balcony that overlooked the Plaza (and the gallows for that matter). The doors had opened and a man (not _that_ fat not that skinny either) strolled towards the guardrail. He raised his hand to gain silence and for a moment it was completely silent.

The king looked around. "My dear people of Greece," he was speaking slowly, in a low voice. "We have gathered here for something important. Something I have finally come to realize. I have failed you. All of you. I had put my own interest before anything else – that is where I went wrong. You all should be my priority and this is why I am speaking to you here, today. I need all of you to help me trying to make things right – this is hard to believe, I know, but it is for the better. The Court of Justice will be open to everyone. From now on you, the people, can tell me your thoughts. Write everything down that the government, and myself, have done wrong. Sign your name under it and give it to the men of the City Watch in the Court of Justice. We will take care of all your complaints and try to make the wrongs right."

The king talked about a couple of other things, but Vitoria was too confused to even listen. The king wanted to redeem himself? What happened to the arrogant and snobby king everyone knew?

"Are you going to do this?" Vitoria asked to Sam and Sophia.

"Hell yeah, I'm going to make the king cry with all my complaints. He better do something about the growing tax. I can barely pay it already," Sophia growled as she eyed the king.

Sam turned his head to Vitoria. "Me too. Are you going to write a complaint?"

She shrugged in reply. "I don't know."

The king spoke for another fifteen minutes before retreating from the balcony. Then the doors of the Court of Justice opened up and the people started to walk towards it. They shoved others out of their way as Vitoria tried to escape the crowd. She got a glimpse of Sam and Sophia who also were walking towards the building, then she managed to get out of the crowd. She turned around to look at all the people and wondered: Did the king really just admit his wrongs? She wasn't sure of anything lately. Maybe she shouldn't question it – maybe he was really trying to be good. For whatever reason he did this, she was sure that in the near future a lot of everything she knew would change.


	16. Urgent Business

**Yooo guyz!**

**Sooo, a little update again. **

**MrJaffaJack: Mwhuhaha we will find out in the next chapter. Also, I really need to read that book someday. Everyone is talking about it. I want to talk about it too. **

**calwitch: Hmmm... maybe, maybe not. ^^**

**kykyxstandler: I wonder that too... And thank you for the kind words. :]**

**Finally, another chapter. Whoohoo. Just gotta say that in a week or so, I will be having a nice little vacation. I'll be in London for about six days and I won't have my laptop with me so I don't know if there will be any delays in the next chapter, but if there are... You now know why. xd**

**Also, next chapter's gon' be great. Shit will hit the fan. So see you later guyz.**

**Have a nice day and enjoy!**

* * *

The Mentor was watching his pupils from behind the window in the library. His arms were folded, his eyes staring in a concerned manner to nothing in particular. He had just sent Ion away to check something out for him and if his suspicions were correct, they all would be in trouble.

Adonai turned around and walked slowly past the bookcases and down the stairs. As he neared his desk, he heard the faint knock on the front door (the library doors weren't closed). He glanced at the doors for a second, knowing who was standing behind them and then decided to open them for the devil. Or, to put in other words, his father.

He walked out of the library and into the hallway and finally opened the door only halfway. The old man on the other side of the door greeted him with a stern nod. The old man was dressed in simple clothes, making him look like an ordinary citizen. Except he was anything but.

Adonai opened the door quickly to let the old man in as his eyes scanned the background, looking for eyes which weren't supposed to be looking. Then he closed the door . He turned around, wanting to walk into the library and get this over with, when he noticed he and the devil weren't alone in the hallway anymore. This was just the thing he had been trying to avoid.

Vitoria was glancing at the two with a confused expression – which wasn't odd for this was her house and she was the one who opened the front doors, something they had agreed upon.

"You must be Vitoria," the old man beside Adonai said. He gave her a warm smile. "My name is Thane."

She smiled back. "Nice to meet you."

Adonai didn't want to let this conversation turn into something where he probably would come out as the victim, so he interfered. "My apologies for not telling you I invited someone here, but we really need to discuss something. So, if you'll excuse us..." Adonai turned on his heel.

"It's _really_ urgent," Thane said with a wink as Vitoria watched the two walking into the library and closing the doors behind them.

"Since when did _you_ invite _me_?" Thane asked with a humorous tone in his voice as he walked over the creaking floorboards.

Adonai sighed. "I did not feel like explaining myself further. Anyway, you need to read this." Adonai grabbed the letter Alvar had taken with him from Piers Kalivas and handed it over to Thane, who studied it with interest. However, his expression darkened as he continued reading.

"An army of Templars? That can't be good." Thane gave the letter back to Adonai. "Do you think the Templars and the king are working together?"

Adonai placed the letter back on his desk. "Because of all these changes the king is making, I am certain they work together. It's just not how the king acts."

"Someone else is pulling the strings," Thane stated. He was frowning, something he did when he was lost in thought. "But if the Templars are pulling the strings, why would the king tell the people to complain about him? What would the Templars gain from that?"

Adonai thought about that for a moment. "Maybe they gain trust from the people. Or maybe they let the king do it to show him that he still holds some kind of power. Then again, Templars aren't like that. They would never ask the people to complain, they know what's wrong with this system and they know how to fix it." The Mentor glanced up to Thane. "It doesn't make sense."

Thane nodded his head in agreement. He was still trying to answer these questions in his head.

"The Assassins cannot do this alone. We don't even have enough information to truly know what's going on. We only know bits and pieces. And if both the Templar Order and the City Watch are after us..."

Thane looked up. "We still got the people."

"The people are scared."

"That is true. And this will not change, except if _we _do something about it. The Resistance and the Assassins need to work together." Thane crossed his arms as he cocked his head a little to his son.

Adonai nodded. "I agree."

Thane was satisfied with his answer but then he frowned again. "We do have a problem. The Resistance isn't as quite as strong and large as I want it to be. We took it slow because we didn't want news of a possible revolution to reach the king's ears. Also, we do not have enough money. As I said, we were taking it slow."

The Mentor nodded his head understandingly. "We both know to whom we can turn to for money. But, I am not fond of that idea. I don't want to involve Vitoria in any more of this..." Adonai sighed deeply. "But It's not my call to make. You should ask her yourself."

Thane studied his son for a long time before saying: "I believe she cannot be _more_ involved in this than she already is."

* * *

Vitoria was staring at the ceiling of her bedchambers. She didn't know how much time had passed since she went to bed – but it was either really late or really early. She kept thinking about how much had changed ever since her father died. And now she couldn't shake this feeling that something was about to happen. It kept her awake at night.

Her stomach made a noise to let her know she was hungry and in need of some food. So the woman threw the covers off of her and sat up in her bed only to wipe the sleep out of her eyes. She stood, walked over to a chair that was standing in the corner of her room and grabbed the robe from it, pulling it on. She quickly brushed past the curtains, so that the moonlight could illuminate her room.

Vitoria quickly stepped through the room towards the door, eyes locking on the painting placed on the ground. She still had to find a good spot for that painting on her wall – but this was not the time to think about that.

The woman closed the door to her bedchamber behind her as she entered the hallway. Her feet carried her to the stairs, passing Adonai's bedroom. She was amazed by the fact that she hadn't entered all the rooms in her house.

As she reached ground level, Vitoria made sure she did not make any sounds whatsoever. The corridor was dark, but it wasn't the same darkness as she had seen in the prison; the moonlight made sure parts of it were illuminated. The doors to the library were shut – which wasn't a surprise. The kitchen door, however, remained open at all times. She entered.

Vitoria quietly searched for a sandwich to make – hoping that none of the Assassins had gotten the same idea –, when she heard a faint noise coming from the hallway. She stopped her movements, held her breath as she listened carefully to the sounds; faint thuds, a creaking sound, then the sound of heavy boots. Someone had opened the door and was now, most likely, standing in the hallway. She noticed the stream of moonlight touching the floorboards before the kitchen, a shadow making itself known – the door was still open.

Curiosity got the best of her as she quietly stepped towards the doorway, peeking into the hallway to see who had arrived at this late (or early) hour.

A tall man dressed in a white robe was standing in the doorway. He was grasping the doorknob as if it was his own life. The hood of the man fell off and even though his face had been turned away from the light, she recognized him. Ion.

Ion tried to take a step inwards, but couldn't find his balance and fell. Vitoria, however, rushed up to him and caught him as best as she could. She wrapped his arm around her so that he could lean on her and she could close the door behind her.

"Ion... What happened?" she whispered and with her eyes searched his body for any wounds... or blood in general. But there was not enough blood on his robes to worry about. He seemed fine...

Vitoria turned to him, looking him in the eyes. She tried not to stare, but there was something not quite right here. Ion's eyes were puffy, red and hazy.

"V...rru...ghl..." The sounds he produced made no sense. She frowned at him.

"Ion?"

Then, something changed in his expression. He almost looked... dark. He surely wasn't progressing any of this. He suddenly threw her against the wall, next to the library doors. Surprised and confused she watched as Ion was trying to get to her, but seemed to be fighting battles she wasn't able to see. He was swinging his fists against invisible enemies, heavily breathing and growling. She didn't know what to do other than simply standing there, watching the Assassin.

When he had fought his battles and his eyes gazed upon her, she knew she was in trouble. It was as if Ion wasn't recognizing her – he was looking at her but did not _see_ her. Then, he started to walk up to her with a bloodthirsty expression in his eyes. Vitoria didn't want to find out what he would do to her once he had gotten to her, so she looked around frantically to find a way out of this situation – whatever this situation was.

Her feet had already carried her towards the doors of the library, while her mind was still progressing everything else. She swung the door open, running towards the desk of Adonai where the Mentor had risen from his desk to look into the unexplained noises from outside the library. A flame of a candle placed on the desk was the only source of light, apart from the moonlight. The Mentor frowned at the sight of Vitoria running into the library like a madman. Then his frown deepened as Ion stumbled after her. His bloodthirsty expression hadn't gone unnoticed by him.

Adonai stepped in, blocking the way towards Vitoria, thence making Ion stop earlier as he had foreseen. The man tried to swing his fists towards Adonai's face, while stopping at the same time. The Mentor blocked his attacks, grabbed his arm, twisted it on his back and forced his pupil onto his knees.

"What happened, Vitoria?" Adonai asked calm, as he forced Ion on the ground, making it easier for him to restrain the man.

Vitoria blinked a couple of times. "He came into the house all weak. I thought maybe he was hurt and helped him, but after a quick glance I noticed he wasn't bleeding or anything. Then he threw me against the wall. It seemed like he was fighting invisible enemies. Anyway, shortly after that I stumbled in here."

Adonai nodded his head slowly, his eyes showed that he was deep in thought. Then he slowly gazed back to Ion. "I need Alvar here. Can you get him for me?"

Vitoria nodded, then realized he wasn't looking at her. "Yes, I'll get him." She rushed out of the library, running through the dark hallway and towards his bedchamber he shared with Ion. She only had seen it one time when Ion showed it to her. She was glad that their bedchamber wasn't in the guesthouse.

When she found the door she was looking for, she stumbled into the dark room. She found Alvar (or the dark contours that were most likely Alvar) sitting upright in his bed.

"Vitoria?.."

"You need to come to the library. Something is wrong with Ion." She didn't have to say those words twice. Alvar jumped out of bed, grabbing a simple shirt with him to cover his bare chest. He put the shirt on as he walked towards Vitoria and then the two of them hurried to the library.

In the meanwhile, Adonai had cleared his desk for Ion had fallen unconscious.

"What happened?" Alvar asked as he entered the library. Adonai pointed towards Ion's feet while he placed his hands on the shoulders of Ion. The two of them lifted Ion in the air and placed him on the empty desk.

"I believe he came into contact with some kind of poison. But I am not sure." Adonai examined Ion as Alvar watched and waited for further instructions.

"Is Ion going to be okay?" Vitoria asked unsure.

No one answered.


	17. Chaos

**Hey guyzz!**

**I'm back again with a chapter. Whoohoo. **

**MrJaffaJack: I'm sure you will travel to whatever country you want one day. =] And yes, I have heard of this news. When I was in London and I looked up to the (old) buildings, I could only imagine Assassins Climbing them. I am ****_that_**** addicted to the game lol. And your home country is very beautiful, and the people there are really, really nice. That was something that amazed me. The nicest strangers, they were. And thank you for your advice about the Oyster Card. I told my mom and we bought one, which made life a lot simpler. So, yeah. I won't stay up all night, and Nemo is awesome.**

**So, like I told ya last time. Shit will hit the fan in this chapter. So I will stop talking. **

**Have a nice one and enjoy!**

* * *

Ion turned out to be fine. He had slept for a couple of hours after the incident, Alvar never straying from his side. As soon as he had woken up, he told the bits and pieces he still remembered of the mission he had been sent on. Apparently, he had to check something out and got stung by something in his neck. At first he got dizzy, but as he stumbled back to the mansion, his world changed to hell. He told them he had to fight 'his demons' and did not recognize anyone anymore. He had no memory of attacking Vitoria.

A couple of days passed. The Assassins kept a low profile. Vitoria didn't see Adonai in those days; he was out. No one knew where he disappeared to.

The table located in the kitchen had started to become their spot. Dryas, Leon, Ion, Alvar and Vitoria were sitting around it. Dryas was the only one who was eating. They had been joking around – especially Ion and Leon about the amount of food Dryas could consume. They were still laughing when Dryas pushed his plate to the middle of the table and cleared his throat.

"But seriously, has anyone seen Adonai?" he asked with a more serious expression. His eyes glanced around, stopping briefly at Alvar – who just shrugged in return. Vitoria was surprised that even his own pupils didn't know where he had gone.

"Well, he disappeared the day after Ion's incident, so I am guessing he is searching for some kind of explanation. The poison is unlike anything we have seen before," Leon said as he sat slumped in his chair.

Vitoria blinked as another event that day made its way back into her head. "Oh right. Before Ion came back to the mansion, another man had been visiting – for lack of a better word. Can't remember his name, though..."

Ion sat upright in his chair. "Another man? What did he look like?"

She frowned as she recalled the brief meeting with the man. "The man was old. And he was certainly a lot happier than Adonai that day. Or any day for that matter."

Leon chuckled. "Sounds like you've met Thane."

Vitoria snapped her fingers. "That was the name I was looking for. Thane. Yes."

Dryas laughed out loud. "It isn't weird that Thane is a lot happier than Adonai. They are father and son."

Vitoria quirked a brow at Dryas. Father and son. That explained a couple of things.

"Thane was the previous Mentor, before Adonai and Nicon. He used to show up here regularly, but for some reason he stopped doing that," Alvar explained calmly.

The conversation moved on to other subjects and Ion started joking again as the day slowly passed by. Finally, the Assassins left the kitchen to do whatever they needed to do as Vitoria quickly ate something before exiting the mansion. She was surprised when she stepped outside; it was already getting dark. The sun had set almost completely past the horizon, leaving Athens in an orange and dark-ish glow.

Vitoria took a deep breath to clear her head as her feet hit the cobblestone streets; she kept her pace reasonably fast. For the past couple of days she had thought about the option to complain about the ruler(s) of Greece. She still wasn't sure so she had decided to talk to Sam – who was in fact a genius on the subject. She imagined her friend writing his complaints about the king and his council. Sam's complaints must have been longer than the Bible.

Vitoria smiled as she neared the Great Plaza. She should ask him later how much ink he had wasted on the matter.

When the woman stepped onto the Great Plaza, she was immediately aware of the fact that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

A wave of uncertainty washed over her as she turned her head in every direction. Beside the small amount of guards and two lost souls, there was no one standing on the Great Plaza. It was completely empty. Her gaze directed itself towards the gallows, then the Court of Justice and finally the Vasco Bank. She eyed a couple of guards warily from a distance, wondering if she had broke the law by stepping on the Plaza itself. But the guards didn't give a flying fuck about her or anyone for that matter.

The problem made itself known short after she had cautiously walked towards the middle of the Great Plaza and searched for Sam who obviously wasn't standing on the Plaza (which was a first for him). Thick black smoke clouded the already darkening skies.

Vitoria's heart pounded in her chest as another wave washed over her. There was a fire. And the amount of smoke revealed it was a large fire. This wasn't just a burning house... This was a burning district.

Her feet already carried her towards the nearest street, in the direction of the smoke. Somewhere along the way she had started to run, passing people whose heads were directed to the sky. She didn't know how long she had been running or to what district, but when she was there she finally realized _what_ was burning. Beggar Street.

She shoved people out of her way as she neared the street. The king had created Beggar Street to get the beggars off the streets; to make Athens a little bit cleaner and more presentable. Also, he did it to give the homeless a home.

The smell of burning clothes and wood reached her nose. It was mixed with another smell that made her gag. The smell of burning flesh.

The flames were ravenous, devouring everything that they touched. Poets might have stated that the flames were dancing into the night, but they did not dance. One danced when happy. A burning street was not joyful at all.

The large street was completely perished in yellow, orange flames. The clothing and the wood that was used as a roof wasn't even there anymore. One of the wooden 'houses' collapsed just as a family tried to escape it. They didn't make it. She could hear screams and shouts coming from the burning street while no one was doing anything to help.

When Vitoria had made it to the frontline, pushing herself a way through the crowds of people, she realized why no one was helping. Guards of the City Watch were standing between the crowds and the Street. They shouted to the people that they should get back to their homes or stand back.

"Shouldn't you be helping them?" Vitoria snapped angrily to one of the guards.

"There is nothing we can do for them ma'am. Now, if you would be so wise to get back to your house..."

Vitoria glared at the guard, then back at the flames. The City Watch was preventing people from helping. Was this some kind of sick joke? Vitoria almost gagged again and covered her mouth and nose with her hand. She walked back through the crowds, away from the smell and the fire and almost vomited in a side street where no one was in at the moment. She could still smell the smoke in the air.

For a couple of long seconds she was standing there in a quiet street, a couple of blocks away from the fire. Her back against the wall, her eyes directed to the skies as she inhaled deeply. Then her ears picked up the sound of voices in another street nearby. Quietly, she walked towards the house located on the corner of said street and peeked around it. She noticed two figures in armour. They were clearly from the City Watch and they were standing in front of a house.

"I am still not sure of this," one of them mumbled almost inaudible.

"Shut it, man. We have our orders. You know what happens if we do not carry those out," the other man snapped. Then the door swung open and a tiredly-looking man appeared in the doorway.

"Itheus Ribes?" one of the guards asked.

The man nodded. "That's me. What is this about?"

The two guards gave the man a stern expression, then one of them grabbed him firmly and pushed him against the wall. "It is about your complaints. The king didn't like 'em."

The guards struggled a little as they tried to get the man to his knees, which succeeded in the end. One guard stayed with the man as the other walked a little further into the street.

"We'll finish this street with traitors before we move on to the next, 'kay?" the guard standing next to Itheus said. The other gave him a stern nod and knocked on another front door.

Vitoria gasped as she tried to make something of this. Did this mean that everyone who had written a complaint would be... This was bad. This was really, really bad. This made her question everything. She was now certain that the fire wasn't accidental. The king had acted as if he had good intentions, but now his true nature came to the surface. He had put the beggars in one long street to just burn them all away in one night.

She felt fear bubbling in her stomach. Sam had written a complaint... just like Sophia. Vitoria had no idea where Sam was at the moment, but she knew where Sophia was. It was dark, so that meant she was at work.

The brothel. She had to get there before anyone else did.

Vitoria turned on her heels and sprinted out of the street. She literally bumped into someone, quickly apologized and darted around the next corner. She hadn't even thought this whole thing through – she just knew she had to get to Sophia, otherwise she might lose a friend tonight forever. She hoped Sam was alright, too.

In and around the brothel it was quiet. Anastasia's House of Pleasure seemed almost too quiet after the large crowds at Beggar Street. The sweet smell of perfume entered Vitoria's nose as she burst through the door and stormed towards the desk where a pretty woman with enormous breasts was sitting on a wooden stool. The interior of the brothel was very luxurious and the smell was strong. However, Vitoria had no time to admire the interior. Panting, she reached the desk where a young blonde woman looked up.

"Hey, honey. What is it that you want?"

Vitoria had to inhale deeply before speaking. "I need to speak with Sophia Malia. I am a close friend of hers and it's _really_ urgent."

The woman looked at the papers before her. "Hmm... Alright then, Close Friend of Sophia's. She isn't with anyone at the moment. Her room is up the stairs, then to the right. Last door at your left."

Vitoria thanked the woman and rushed up the stairs – almost falling over the carpet – then turned to the right. She hurried past the closed doors, ignoring every sound, and finally stormed into Sophia's room without knocking.

Sophia's room contained a carpet, a king bed, an open window and a desk with a mirror placed on it. It all seemed very expensive. It probably was.

Sophia was sitting on the bed, next to her another woman was sitting – it seemed that they had been talking until Vitoria rudely interrupt.

"Vitoria?" Sophia frowned and stood from the bed in confusion. "What are you doing here?" She too was dressed as everyone else in this place.

"You need to get out of here," Vitoria managed to say between breaths.

Sophia stuttered for a moment, completely puzzled with the situation. "I don't understand. I can't. I have to work."

The stunning woman on the bed stood as well, her long black hair falling over her shoulders. Her dark eyes studying her.

"The king has lost his mind. He burned Beggar Street and is now looking for everyone who wrote a complaint. Like I said, you need to get out of here." Vitoria was about to enter the hallway and just storm out of the front door when the familiar sounds of heavy boots echoed. She heard voices of men and finally saw a guard of the City Watch walking up the stairs.

Vitoria immediately closed the door of Sophia's room. "They're here."

"Elene here wrote a complaint too, Vitoria," Sophia muttered quietly as the sound of the boots became louder. Vitoria gave the woman a second glance, for she had heard the name Elene somewhere else, but decided to ignore that thought for a moment.

"Out of the window," Vitoria whispered as she pushed the two ladies towards the already open window.

"You want us to jump?! Are you mad?" Sophia hissed as Elene stepped through the window, looking down with a thoughtful expression.

"It is either a broken leg or a broken neck. You chose," Vitoria hissed back at her friend, who hesitantly took her place next to Elene, sitting on the edge of the window.

Suddenly, the door was slammed open and a guard was standing in the opening. He shouted to them as he ran across the room, but Vitoria had already pushed the two ladies out of the window. Without thinking straight, she, too, stumbled herself out of the window. She briefly fell through the air and finally landed with her back on the streets, knocking the air from her lungs and making her gasp. She groaned loudly while mumbling an apology because she had fallen on top of Sophia and Elene. Luckily, Sophia's room had been on the first floor.

Vitoria eyed towards the window where the head of the guard was eyeing back.

"Oww, my ankle..." Sophia wailed next to Vitoria. However, Vitoria waited until the guard had disappeared back into the room. Then, she sat upright only to discover they weren't alone in the alley behind the brothel.

"We had a feeling you ladies would try to flee..." The man who had spoken, had a sly grin on his face. The other three merely glared without any indication that they felt any joy while doing their jobs.

"Let's get this over with..."

The men walked over to the women, trying to hoist them onto their feet.

"Don't you touch me, you pig!" Sophia screamed in protest as one of the guards pulled her to her feet, ignoring her screams and protests. Vitoria was just as unfortunate as Sophia, she too got pulled to her feet. However, Elene was a totally different story. She pulled out a knife before the guard could touch her.

"I don't think so," she spat slowly as she stood on her own, her chin up, her gaze could have frozen the guard right on the spot.

The guard chuckled darkly. "Ah, a whore with a spine. Cute, darling, but we don't have time for these situations. Drop the knife."

Next to Vitoria Sophia was still protesting while the guard had lifted her off her feet and was carrying her away. She was kicking and hitting the guard in every possible way, but it didn't help. Vitoria was looking for potential weapons but when the guard noticed, he pushed her against the stone, cold wall as a warning.

"Wouldn't think about it, missy," he growled in her ear. Vitoria tried to hit him, but he grabbed her wrist in mid-air.

"You _will_ be sorry for this as soon as I talk to the Head of the City Watch," she snapped as the two eyed each other dangerously.

The guard chuckled humourless. "You do that. Although he may not do anything about it. He was the one who gave us the orders." That shut her up. She lowered her hand as she thought about that. Arastoo gave the order? This couldn't be.

Elene was now surrounded by two armoured guards, and they forced her to a corner where she was even more vulnerable.

Suddenly, falling from the sky, was a hooded man. He was blocking one way of the alley and eyeing the guard closest to him (which was the one holding Sophia).

Another hooded man fell down from the sky at the other end of the alley. He took a step in their direction, his hidden blades revealing themselves, which made the guards nervous. Vitoria felt something sharp against her throat.

"One more step and she'll be dead." Vitoria swallowed hard as the voices in the alley had died down – Sophia, too, had a knife pressed against her throat.

The hooded man cocked his head while Vitoria tried get a grip of the guard's arm. Then, everything happened fast. Another hooded figure came flying down from the roof and took one of the guards standing near Elene down with him, while the hooded man who had been cocking his head, swiftly made his way to the other guy near Elene and killed him without second thought. Behind Vitoria a man had appeared from the shadows and stabbed the guard holding her who wasn't even aware of his existence, while the hooded man on the other end of the alley had made his way to the captor of Sophia and twisted his neck like one would snap a tree branch. Sophia landed on the wrong ankle and was about to fall to the ground if it wasn't for the hooded man who smoothly caught her just in time.

Vitoria pushed the arm of the guard off her throat and as she stepped away from the guard, his body slumped to the ground. She turned around to face the man who had saved her millions of times already. Alvar.

The man who had caught Sophia (and was still holding her with a charming smile) was Ion. The man who had cocked his head had been Leon and the man who performed an air assassination was Dryas.

"Took you long enough," Elene breathed annoyed as she pushed the knife she had been holding against Dryas' chest and walked past him.

Dryas took the knife and turned around to follow Elene. "'Oh, thank you Dryas and friends for saving my ass. I am so glad you took out those guards before they killed me!'" Dryas mumbled after her. "'Jeez, Sis, it was my pleasure.'"

Finally Vitoria remembered why the name 'Elene' had sounded so familiar. She was the sister of Dryas, Elene Xanthos. She watched as the siblings started an argument about absolutely nothing.

"They're always like this," Leon replied as if he had read her mind. She, then, watched Sophia and Ion who were talking to each other, Ion was probably asking where she was hurt and she was pointing at her ankle.

Both Vitoria and Alvar restraint themselves from rolling their eyes at their friends.

"They are now wanted criminals. They cannot go home or to work for the king has got those places covered," Leon muttered softly as Vitoria watched Sophia and Elene.

"They can stay with us, _right_?" She quirked a brow at the two Assassins.

"I'm fine with that," Leon answered.

"Me too."

Vitoria nodded her head and walked over to Sophia and Ion who seemed to be smiling about something.

"Sophia, you'll be staying in my house for now, okay?" She gave her friend a keen look.

She nodded in return. "But... my mother and brother..."

"They can stay too. I will get them, alright? Ion, can you bring her back to the mansion?"

"We'll do," he mumbled and helped Sophia walk as they disappeared onto the streets. Vitoria glanced after them, sighing heavily.

"V, I'm bringing my sister to the mansion, otherwise she will get herself killed within the hour," Dryas gave her a questioning look, which Vitoria answered with a nod.

Elene let out a disapproving snort. "Getting myself killed? I can handle myself, you moron," she snapped as the siblings also walked out of the alley.

"Alvar, I'm going to check Beggar Street one more time," Leon announced and left the alley as soon as Alvar had nodded, leaving the two of them with four bodies.

"Which way to Sophia's house?" Alvar asked and Vitoria pointed towards the right direction as they walked side by side out of the alley. He kept an eye on his surroundings while Vitoria merely watched the stones they walked on.

"Arastoo gave the order," Vitoria mumbled, still shocked by the guard's words.

They walked around a corner. "The Head of the City Watch?"

Vitoria nodded. "Yes. I trusted that guy – even my father trusted him. How could we both have been so wrong?"

Alvar remained silent for a couple of seconds. Then he stopped walking and forced Vitoria to face him. "There are two things I know about your father, or so I was told. The first thing is that he was a great Assassin, the second is that he did everything for a reason. So whatever the guard told you may not be true and he is, in fact, a trustworthy man – or Nicon trusted his position, and not the man." Alvar was looking down at Vitoria, their bodies were so close that Vitoria could feel the heat radiating off of him. For a long moment, he held her gaze without speaking, letting his words sink in. But her mind wasn't thinking about whatever he just said anymore. She wished this moment would last forever, but then his eyes shot up and he pushed her against the wall, into the shadows.

"Templars..." He mumbled as the group of five men, passed the street they were in, their armour was similar to the City Watch's, but some of them wore a necklace of a cross around their neck. Also, their expressions were more grim.

Vitoria watched silently and then it occurred to her that she had seen the armour before. "They ran through the streets near my previous house on the night my father died. They killed him."

Alvar waited until they were out of sight and then they rushed towards the end of the street. He looked around, made sure the coast was clear and together they hurried further. They were almost there.

"I believe the Templar Army has arrived," he mumbled grimly.

From afar she saw the house on the corner, Sophia's house, and she almost sprinted towards it. She noticed the door was already open and, without thinking this through, she opened it fiercely.

The house is a mess, she thought as she stepped over the fallen and broken items. She stepped into the living room and felt her heart sank. The table was split in two, glass and wood was scattered in pieces around the room, there were holes in the walls. And the worst part was that there was no sign of Sophia's mother and brother.

"We are too late..."


	18. Demanding Dogs

**Hey guyz!**

**HAH, bet you didn't expect me so soon! Nope, I didn't either, but this weekend was a weekend full of inspiration. And now I have this chapter and I'm halfway through the next! How cool is that huh! Yup, getting too excited for something as minor as this but idc. **

**MrJaffaJack: Yes. King = bad news. And that romantic scene was so fun to write... can't wait to write more of it. :]. I will certainly visit the Midlands one day. I have seen pictures of it and it looks so peaceful and quiet. Well, we won't use our Oyster Cards anymore for... dunno, probably never. xd So, we wanted to withdraw the remains of the money on it, but forgot to do it in London so we need to send or something like that and then teamoystercard will pay it back. It is a lot of hassle. But worth it. Definitely. =) And, god yeah, then plottwist ezio is a waiter and serves your drinks. What would you do? ^^ kind a wished this was possible lol. **

**On a different note: If you read this chapter till the end and you think to yourself ****_huhhh? wtf, why does it end so abruptly and unnatural?! _****I can tell you that I cut this chapter in half because I wasn't sure if I had enough words for the next chapter... Now I think to myself that I actually have enough words... think, that is. So we'll see in the next one. xd**

**Also, it's not long before I plottwist the fuck out of this story so... be prepared. **

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

Vitoria gently pulled the covers over her best friend as she had finally _fallen_ asleep. When she had heard the news about her mother and brother she just broke down, presuming the worst, which was understandable. Her mother, Maria, and her brother, Renoz, hadn't written a complaint, but the king probably took them to lure Sophia in. But Sophia couldn't walk normally for she had bruised her ankle badly and Vitoria wouldn't let her walk to her death.

Vitoria gave Sophia one final glance before quietly rising to her feet and tiptoeing to the door, making sure she did not wake Sophia. She closed the door softly behind her and sighed deeply while standing in the dark hallway. Sophia's bedchamber was next to Vitoria's and Elene's bedchamber was next to Sophia's. Vitoria was tired and felt drained – she had been sitting with Sophia for a very long time, trying to calm her down.

She walked silently to her own bedchamber, closed the door behind her. She then walked across the room, passing her bed, opened the French doors towards the balcony. A cool breeze greeted her. She could still smell the smoke that was mixed in the wind. Her eyes shifted towards the city below her. The calm and peaceful city had changed over one night. Fear was haunting the city; one could taste it in the air. It wasn't just the City Watch out there anymore, it were Templars too. And Templars were worse. The two were working together, which made it harder for the Assassins to do their work. Adonai still hadn't returned.

Vitoria slumped to the ground and sat down on the balcony, her eyes looking through the bars of the guardrail. She stared at Athens until the sun came up and she felt sore for sitting in this position way too long.

She had just risen to her feet when the door to her bedchamber swung open, the noise making her turn in surprise.

Alvar was standing in the doorway with his hood down and a grim expression on his face. He looked like how she felt; exhausted.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, but didn't expect something nice as an answer. His expression told her a lot.

"Someone's at the door," he replied while Vitoria closed the doors to her balcony. Alvar held the door as she walked through it and together they walked down the stairs. She peeked into the kitchen and noticed everyone sitting at the table except Sophia. She walked towards the door, quickly looked over her shoulder to see Alvar closing the door of the kitchen, his eyes staring intently at her. Then, she opened the door.

Vitoria had to restrain herself from screaming into the Head of the City Watch's face. Behind Arastoo were a couple of more guards standing, watching them. However, they were standing too far away to hear actual words.

Her eyes glanced back to Arastoo Bronte, making her hostility known by glaring at him with an angry expression across her face.

"Vitoria..."

"What do _you_ want?" she spat the words, and closed the door a little so that if he tried anything she could slam the door in his face – which was tempting to do.

He pressed his lips in a line while his eyes pierced through hers from under his knit brows. "We are missing two persons, who escaped a brothel in the centre of Athens. The woman at the counter told us that _a close friend _of one of the escapees entered right before we did. Then, that same woman described this _close friend _and she reminded me of you. I also am aware of your friendship with Sophia Malia, who is in fact one of the escapees. The other one is Elene Xanthos. One of my guards told me that _three_ women escaped through the window and into an alley. It was the same alley where we found the bodies of four guards."

Vitoria was squeezing the doorknob so hard that her knuckles were turning white. Anger was blossoming in her belly and spreading through her entire body. The being in front of her that called himself _human_ was making her really angry.

"So, what is it that you're saying?" She tried to remain calm, even though she was exploding from the inside.

Arastoo's expression faltered for a moment. "I am simply asking you if it was you..."

"It wasn't me," she interrupted him sternly.

"I need evidence of this. I need to see for myself if it's true what you're saying. Let me in and show me that you're not hiding anyone and that you have nothing to do with this." He gave her a simple look, noticing her frown, and continued in a low voice: "I cannot help you if you're not letting me. But, if you refuse to cooperate, which I highly discourage, then I must act forcefully. Hiding escapees is a crime that is punished by death."

Vitoria swallowed at the mention of death, but then she realized she was hiding a creed in her house. Even without hiding escapees, she would be hanged for her crimes. "So, let me get this straight, Arastoo. You come to my house with a mini-army to accuse me of helping escapees escape, murdering four guards and hiding the same escapees in my house. Then, you threaten me on my land if I should refuse to let you in my house."

Arastoo gave her a blank look. "These were my orders, I have to carry them out."

Her eyes narrowed. "Just like yesterday, hm? A lot of people were arrested by _your orders_. A lot of people were killed by _your orders_. Tell me, were it _your orders_ that burned the beggars alive in Beggar Street?"

The expression in his eyes changed for a moment to indignation. "Beggar Street was an accident," he said keenly. His expression made it clear to Vitoria that he was certain of that.

"Is that what the king told you?" she hissed under her breath.

Arastoo exhaled and straightened his back. "You are crossing a line, Vitoria," he warned her.

"You know, I trusted you. My father trusted you. But you have proven yourself nothing more than a dog who simply does what he is told. I refuse to cooperate. I won't let you or your mini-army in my house. If that's a crime, so be it. I'd rather die for the good than live for the bad. And if I'm not mistaken, I have the right to say: Get. Off. My. Land." And with that, she slammed the door shut in the man's face, immediately locking the doors. She turned around, her back pressed against the door as her eyes shifted towards the ceiling.

"I'm dead. I am _so_ dead," she mumbled dramatically and insane at the same time.

"No, you're not dead." The voice startled her as her eyes glanced over to the open door of the library where Adonai was standing. She didn't know for how long he had been there, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"You are under the protection of the Assassins. They won't kill you." He stepped out of the doorway and gestured inwards. "There is someone who needs to talk to you."

* * *

Apparently, what she had said to Arastoo, made him leave. He didn't force himself inside; he just left the same way he came. And now her anger had subsided, the true meaning of her words came crashing down on her. She had just told him he was a dog. She told the Head of the City Watch he was a _dog_. She really was crazy.

Now, she was standing in the library with Adonai and Thane as the old man was telling her a story about needs and what it was like if they weren't realized or something like that. Anyway, it was a lot of crap. Vitoria tried to listen to it without laughing and sometimes her gaze shifted to Adonai, who watched his father with knit brows.

"So..." she said clear when the old man had paused for a moment. Vitoria was acting as if it was really hard to get the point of his story, even though she already knew what he was after. "You're asking me to finance the Resistance?"

Thane gave her a blank look for a moment and then nodded his head. "Yes."

"You know..." she mumbled a little. "You could have just ask me that in a less... _puzzled_ way."

It was Adonai who sighed and answered. "Well, he was never good at asking. Taking, on the contrary, was more his style." Adonai seemed pleased with his answer, while Thane gave his son a sideways glance.

"Anyway, will you finance the Resistance?" the old man asked.

Vitoria pressed her lips in a firm line, as she thought about it. She didn't want to spend the money her father gave her, but, on the other hand, it was just sitting in that bank. Her father was a man who fought for freedom. What would he do in a situation like this? Would he give the money? Or wouldn't he?

She sighed a long sigh. "I'll finance the Resistance."

They talked for a little bit longer and then she walked out of the library. Thane and Adonai remained in the library and when they were done, she would go with Thane to the Vasco Bank. She had no idea what she was supposed to do, but she would figure it out once she was there.

Vitoria entered the kitchen where she was greeted by familiar faces. She sat down next to Leon and looked around. Sophia and Ion appeared to be absent. Sophia was probably still sleeping, Ion however...

"Where's Ion?" she asked with a frown, her eyes glanced over the faces.

"Upstairs. He's checking on Sophia," Dryas answered and a sly smile was creeping across his face. While everyone was thinking the same thing – and had the same expression as Dryas on their faces – Vitoria burst out laughing.

Leon narrowed his eyes as he leaned towards her. "What's so funny?"

Vitoria was still smiling as her eyes sparkled at the thought of the last man Sophia had been with. "Ion doesn't know what kind of woman Sophia is."

The man next to her quirked a brow. "Can you explain this further?"

The woman shifted her gaze across the room. Everyone was watching her with interest. "Well," she started, "for instance, her previous lover is now blind because of her."

Dryas head turned to her even more as his expression changed to uneasiness while Elene burst out in laughing.

"I remember that day. That was a good day," she said wholeheartedly and ignored the looks her brother gave her.

"She made a man blind?" Dryas asked with genuine concern (probably for his own eyes) as he continued to look uneasy.

"I could come up with a pun or two about this, but please do tell us more," Leon quipped as he cocked his head a little.

It was Elene who answered the question. "The pig cheated on her. She had every right to kick him in his groin and making him blind for the rest of his days," Elene spat fiercely. Vitoria saw Dryas flinching as he probably had seen the situation play-out before him. The broad-shouldered man made a face when his attention was drawn to the door. His expression darkened and his muscles tensed as he watched.

Apparently, Lazar had intended to make himself something to eat when his disapproving gaze was staring in the eyes of everyone he hated in the mansion. Vitoria watched the sweat-soaked man as he looked down on the five people in the room (especially the women). The silence that had fallen was uncomfortable, to say the least, and Vitoria could almost smell the testosterone in the air. Especially Dryas hated the guy, his eyes gave that away. Then, he turned on his heels and walked the same way as he had tried to enter.

The tension in the room became dropped as the seconds ticked away.

"So... that was uncomfortable. The man was kind a hot though," Elene murmured as her eyes were still staring at the spot where Lazar had appeared.

Dryas frowned at his sister. "No. Just no, Elene. Don't you dare..."

"What?" Her gaze had shifted towards her brother and she had mischievous expression written across her face. "Don't you think I can do it?" The two exchanged glances.

"I don't care whether you can or you can't. I won't have it. He is a sick-minded bastard and I hate him with every fiber of my being."

"Well, that was poetic," Leon quipped between the siblings.

"Yes. That's how serious I am about this, Elene. He despises you, offends you even and he is dangerous. He is off-limits," Dryas almost shouted.

"That makes it more fun," she mumbled with a smile spreading across her face. She did this to upset her brother and it was working. She leaned towards her brother with a self-assured demeanour. "When I'm done with him, I will have him crawling like a dog." With that, she rose from her seat, giving her brother a sweet smile and walked out of the kitchen. Dryas, however, wasn't going to let her go this easily and sprinted after her. Vitoria was almost certain about it that Elene wouldn't approach Lazar, she just was playing with Dryas. And he was reacting just the way she wanted.

"I am not even sure what just happened," Leon murmured thoughtfully.

Vitoria gave Alvar a glance, who had been quietly listening the whole time. She was about to say something when someone else interrupted. It was Thane. He was finally done with the talking.

"You ready?"

Vitoria nodded her head. "Yeah, sure. I just have to get my cloak." She quickly walked past the old man and ran up the stairs where she could hear Thane barking something to Alvar. She quickly grabbed her cloak from the chair standing at the desk she barely used and put her cloak on.

_Next stop is the Vasco Bank_, she thought and made her way down the stairs again.


	19. Love Stories

**Hey guys!**

**Another chapter is done. A lot of talk in this one.**

**MrJaffaJack: Hahahaha, yeah. That'd be great though, if that turned into a story. Or real life. Both would be great. And yes I will tell you if that ever happens. Also, don't be silly. I'd love to meet ya bro. :] ahaha and noooo, Vitoria will never catch a break. never. :D**

**kykyxstandler: Thank you! And you will find that out in this chapter. =)**

**So as I said before, a lot of talk. But next chapter will be interesting with a plottwist at the end. However, I'm kind of certain that it won't be a long one though. Oh well. **

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

When she finally found herself on the ground level again, the two of them took off towards the Great Plaza, and more specifically, the Vasco Bank. They didn't talk a lot on their way to the bank. Vitoria was more occupied with her surroundings because the streets were mess – some messier than others. Some front doors were open – everyone could just walk in and take whatever stuff these people had. It was barbaric. Also, there was an awful amount of guards patrolling the cities. It weren't just guards of the City Watch – it were Templars as well, but both only seemed to watch the streets. For now.

Fortunately, Thane and Vitoria made it to the Vasco Bank without interruptions and she was able to withdraw money from the vault and gave it to Thane. He put it away somewhere it couldn't be seen or noticed, then the both of them exited the bank the same way.

"So..." Vitoria started as they casually walked down the Great Plaza, trying not to act suspicious. "Adonai is your son?"

The old man snickered from under his dark-coloured hood. "Sometimes I can barely believe it myself."

It sounded more serious than Thane probably intended, so she gave him a smile. "How _did_ he became so serious?" She felt kind a nosy, but she just wanted to know what made the Mentor... the Mentor.

Thane stared off into the distance, a thoughtful expression on his face. He was probably considering whether to tell her what happened or let his son tell her what happened. In the end, Thane didn't feel like it mattered whether it came from Adonai or him. "He was in love with a woman who did not love him back."

After hearing this, Vitoria felt sorry for asking. Maybe it had been better to ask the old man no questions because now she felt as if she had heard something she wasn't supposed to hear.

Thane had caught her expression and gave her a quick smile. "It isn't the only thing that happened to him, but if you want to know more, you should ask for yourself."

A moment of silence fell as she thought about that – and then decided to not ask Adonai about his past. He didn't seem to be a man who spilled _his_ life-stories to _her_. Her gaze shifted back to Thane. "I heard you were the previous Mentor?"

The old man let out a heartedly laugh. "So now it is my past you wish to uncover!"

Vitoria's eyes widened as her hands made a waving gesture. "No! That wasn't... I am not a monster that feeds on pasts. I was just..."

He gave her a humorous pat on the shoulder. "I was just messing with you. Ask away."

She sighed as the shame she had felt for asking ebbed away. "I was just wondering if you trained my father to become an Assassin. Adonai told me he had been a pupil before becoming a Mentor with him. Nicon Terian, that is."

"Oh, I know who he is, alright." Thane had an unreadable expression written across his face as he took his time to think about her words. "I trained him, yes."

Her eyes narrowed. "It took you awhile to figure that out..."

His lips curled slightly upwards. "Yes. Your father was a... a complicated man to say the least. When he was young, he was driven. He wanted nothing more than to become the greatest Assassin ever lived. He wanted to become just like Altaïr was in his time. You've heard of him, right?"

The woman nodded. "There is a book about him in the library."

Thane nodded too. "Nicon worked night and day to become this _perfect_ Assassin. And he was the perfect Assassin, for a little while."

"What changed?"

"Well... I believe he met your mother. He stopped being a true Assassin, became a Mentor for a while with Adonai and then left for good with your mother. He had fallen in love. He became a man of the King's counsel. He tried to stop the king with a different approach – a less action-packed approach. I can respect that. However, sometimes killing is a necessary evil." Thane gave her a sideways glance to see if she was still interested in the story. She was. "He never told you about it?"

Vitoria shook her head. "No, never. Not even once. I knew he was hiding _something, _but every time I tried to ask about it, his mood would hit the negatives on the scale. Besides, I didn't even know what it was I was asking about..."

"So you weren't sure if it was important to you or not? You dropped the subject, not really bothered by the fact that you didn't have an answer?"

She nodded. "Precisely."

Thane frowned as he studied the woman beside him for a moment. Then she stopped walking. He did too.

"I need to do something before I go back," she mumbled as her eyes seemed to be determined in whatever it was she wanted to do.

"Ah, I believe that incident with Arastoo has been eating at you all this time and you want to apologize to him for your rude remarks?" he said without hesitation.

She was dumbfounded. "How did you know?"

Chuckling, he said: "You won't believe me if I told you who it is you remind me of, but you do, indeed, remind me of someone. Anyway, you do what you need to do. I will speak to you later."

Vitoria smiled, although she was a little confused at his words. She watched as he turned around and strolled away. If she watched him like this, he seemed like a man with no troubles whatsoever on his mind. She liked him and respected him. He was an old man who still had a fire burning inside of him, for he was the leader of the Resistance. Also, he was the father of Adonai and he was _funny_. That, also, made him a likeable man.

She turned around and gave the street before her a glance. She had no idea where Arastoo was, but she hoped he was in his home because she was going in that direction. Arastoo had told her where he lived back when her father had just passed away. If she ever needed help, she could go to him. She didn't know if she was still willing to let him help her. He did, indirectly, almost, got Sophia killed by giving the orders. Maybe she shouldn't apologize to him, because it had been the truth that escaped her tongue, but then again, it had been really rude and offensive.

She really had to apologize to him.

Vitoria sighed, glancing in two directions to watch the guards (who weren't paying attention to her at all) and mumbled: "Let's get this over with."

* * *

Arastoo's house was located in a neat street a couple of blocks away from the Great Plaza. The bare stone walls of the houses made her realize how awful it had been to live in Beggar Street where you had to live under planks and cloths. She shuddered with horror as she recalled her memories from that day. She swore she could still smell the smoke in the air.

Vitoria passed two women who were holding a couple of books under their arms as she made her way to the right house. She frowned at the sight, but her questions were answered a little further down the street. The door of one of the houses was open as a handful of people, male and female, were constantly walking in and out – each time their hands were full with things _from_ the house. It didn't take Vitoria long to puzzle this out – these people were sacking a place owned by one of the 'traitors'.

She felt disgusted as she passed the house, but she didn't interfere. She didn't want to end up in more trouble.

Finally, she made it to the front door of Arastoo's house, her eyes glancing back at the people who were just exiting the sacked house for good. Then, her gaze shifted back towards the door. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, three times.

It took a while before the Head of the City Watch opened the door. He wasn't in his usual clothes. Momentarily, he was wearing a loose brown-ish shirt with comfortable pants. It was now that Vitoria noticed how tired-looking he really was.

"Oh look who it is... You want to insult me some more or have you finally decided to tell me the truth about the escapees?" He quirked his brow without expressing any kind of emotion.

Vitoria watched him keenly. "I am not hiding any escapees," she said sternly. She was restraining herself from insulting him more, he was really acting like an asshole.

"Of course you aren't. There are _a lot of_ women who match your description who are _also_ friends with Sophia Malia..." he mumbled sarcastically.

She couldn't apologize to this asshole of a man. "This was a mistake." She gave him a final glance before turning her back to him. Vitoria was about to walk away, when Arastoo called out her name.

"Vitoria." His voice was much more serious than a moment ago – it made her stop walking away. She turned back around to face him as he stepped out of his doorway, gesturing to her that she should come inside, his eyes had softened.

She hesitated, but then walked in, passing him in the doorway. Vitoria heard the soft _thunk_ of the door closing as she walked into the living room. She put down the hood of her cloak and was a little surprised at the interior of the house (or the non-existent interior for that matter). The living room was empty. Even though the living contained two large chairs, a wooden table, a cupboard and a desk it still didn't feel as a _home_. The reason behind this feeling was because there were no paintings whatsoever on the walls – there was nothing that made this house personal (beside the man who was standing behind her). She turned around. He read her like a book.

"I don't like sentimental stuff," he said with a hard tone in his voice. "Can I get you something to drink?"

She shook her head. "I won't be long." Vitoria gathered her thoughts and inhaled deeply. "I just..." Her words were cut-off in the middle by a simple hand-gesture from Arastoo.

"Don't. I don't want your apology – if anything, I should be the one apologizing..." She was about to cut _him_ off in midsentence for saying something like that, but she kept her mouth shut, because he wasn't finished yet: "However, you don't want _me_ t apologize to _you_." Vitoria blinked at him as he continued: "But even though you spoke truths about me, I know that you're hiding the escapees. I am also aware of the fact that there is more behind those walls of your mansion than just _two escapees_." Arastoo gave her an intense stare.

She was silent as the grave. After a couple of seconds, his intense stare had changed in merely a stare. He seemed to study her, then sighed.

"It were my orders. Given to me by the king himself. I couldn't ignore them, or walk away. Vitoria, not everyone is like your father. He spoke his mind to the king without getting hanged. Nowadays, a man who merely opens his mouth, is a dead man. Times have changed." He seemed to be speaking the truth.

Vitoria glanced defiantly at him. "If you're so sure, then, that I am hiding two escapees in my mansion, why don't you arrest me?"

"Your words made me think. I cannot _be_ like your father, but I may as well try to."

After this, it didn't take Vitoria long to exit the house. However, he had told her that the men and women arrested by the City Watch were imprisoned. The king hadn't decided yet what would happen to them.

Before she would enter the already darkening streets, it was Arastoo who gave her words to think about.

"If you have time, you should seek out a man named Damian Levantis." He had a clear expression written over his face, his eyes were watching the streets for a moment.

"Why?" She heard herself say, a frown on her face.

"He was a friend of your father. He may have some answers for you – if you are willing to ask the questionings, that is. His workshop is a couple of streets away from here."

* * *

The familiar squeaks of the floorboards were heard as Alvar entered the library. Thane had just told him that Adonai wanted to speak to him, so here he was.

Closing the library doors behind him, he noticed that Adonai wasn't sitting at his desk. He slowly walked over to the empty desk, which was stacked with a lot of papers, books and letters. Alvar gave the desk a quick glance, when the Master's voice echoed through the room.

"Tell me, Alvar..."

Alvar followed the sound and found his Mentor standing between two bookcases. He was holding the Bible in his hand.

The Mentor looked up. "Are you familiar with the story of Jacob and Rachel?"

Alvar shook his head. He had read some of the stories written in the Bible, but this one didn't ring any bells. "No, Mentor. I am not."

Adonai flipped a couple of pages as he spoke, his voice rich and clear: "After Jacob ran away from his brother Esau, he went to live with his mother's family in Haran. While looking for his uncle Laban, Jacob met Rachel – Laban's daughter. Rachel took Jacob to her father, who gave the man a job and a place to stay.

Jacob negotiated with Laban to work for him for seven years. In return, Laban had agreed that he would give his daughter Rachel to Jacob as his wife. The Bible says in Genesis 19:20, _'__And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.'_

After these seven years, Laban offered his daughter's hand in marriage. However, at the wedding Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah – Rachel's older sister. Laban said, it was not right for the younger daughter to marry first. The Bible says that Jacob continued to work for Laban another seven years to be able to have Rachel as his wife." Adonai glanced from the book he was holding, giving Alvar the time to let his words sink in.

After a moment of silence, the Mentor asked: "Who was wrong in this story? Laban for misleading Jacob? Or Jacob for not noticing sooner?"

Without hesitation, Alvar answered: "Laban. He broke the agreement. He deceived Jacob."

"But he did it because he _believed_ it wasn't right for the younger daughter to marry first. Laban acted because of what he believed. That does not necessarily make him wrong," Adonai countered calmly.

"No, he may not be wrong. He just chose to believe the wrong things." Alvar gave his Mentor a keen look, wondering why they were discussing a story that seemed to be obvious to him. "Why are we talking about it anyway?"

Adonai closed the book and put it back in one of the bookcases. "Curiosity. I wanted to know what opinion you held. Nothing more. Come."

Before Alvar could question it more, his Mentor walked past him towards his desk. Alvar followed.

"I have been away for a couple of days and I found out about a man who knows more about the poison. He knows me, he knows the Creed and he knows the Templars. I am sure he has some valuable information we could use. Get it out of him – but do not kill him. He does not need to die. His name is Damian Levantis." Adonai gave his pupil a quick glance before sitting down at his desk.

"As you wish, Master."


	20. The Mask Falls Off

**Hey guyz!**

**Yaaay, a new chapter. And this one has a plottwist at the end. Kind a. If anyone saw it coming, I'll applaud you and give you a pat on the back.**

**IcedFireFrenzy: Yes ^^. Very interesting indeed. **

**MrJaffaJack: Ouch. Oh well, I'm sure you'll be loved in the near future. I mean I like you. You're really nice. And this is coming from a person who hates people. **

**kykyxstandler: Don't worry. Next chapter AlvarxVitoria luf. **

**I'm tired, so don't got a lot of things to say. I can say that it's getting busy again in mah life. So that. Uhm. Yeah.**

**Have a good day and enjoy! **

* * *

Vitoria was awakened by the sound as if someone had fallen before her closed door in the hallway. She blinked a couple of times, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and finally decided to look what was going on.

She threw the covers from her and pulled on her robe as she strolled towards the door, opening it. Vitoria was surprised to see Sophia sitting on the floor, against the wall opposite from her. She was fully dressed – which probably had taken awhile because of her ankle.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vitoria heard herself say in a harsh way.

Sophia looked up, shrugged, sighed and said: "I don't know."

Vitoria's expressions softened as she gazed upon her friend. "Come," she mumbled. She helped Sophia stand and walked her towards her bedchamber.

"I just thought... I don't know. I don't want to be a burden to you," Sophia explained as they entered Sophia's bedchamber.

Vitoria helped her to her bed. "Sophia. You are my _friend_ and not a burden. You cannot go outside, it is too dangerous for that. So just stay here and let your ankle heal, okay? If it's your family that you're after, we will find them. Just don't do things such as these. And don't do them alone."

Sophia smiled shyly and nodded. "Thank you, Vitoria. And I won't."

Vitoria smiled back and finally exited Sophia's bedchamber, closing the door behind her. She sighed. Sophia was going to kill herself one day with her behaviour.

As she entered her own bedchamber, she noticed the sun was already up. Sleeping wasn't an option anymore, so she got dressed, brushed her hair and went down the stairs towards the kitchen. Vitoria made herself something to eat as she enjoyed the silence that came with it.

When she was finished, she cleaned her plate, grabbed her cloak and exited her house. The words spoken by Arastoo were still freshly imprinted in her memory. That man seemed to read her like a book – he was aware of her questions and he just gave her an answer; Damian Levantis. She knew the man had a workshop, so she should keep an eye on the signs above the shops.

Vitoria silently placed her feet on the ground as she kept her pace high. The times had changed; she felt like if she made too much noise, she would get arrested. Venturing into the streets would one only do if it was necessary. A stroll around the Acropolis, so to speak, wasn't important anymore.

This, however, was an entirely different thing. This _was_ important.

Vitora had been walking around in a couple of streets, trying to find the workshop of Damian, when one sign caught her eye; _Levantis_, was carved in the wood. The sign was hanging above two simple doors, that were closed. She glanced through the window, but found curtains blocking the view instead. So she decided to knock.

She was standing in front of the doors, ready to knock, when someone kept her from doing so. The noise behind her made her turn around, and she was surprised to see Alvar staring back.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as surprised as she was feeling.

"I'm..." She jerked her thumb at the entrance of Damian's workshop as she blinked, trying to progress this situation. "... just visiting. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Just visiting," he repeated her lines and took a step forward, locating himself next to her- in front of the doors.

Vitoria, however, wasn't an idiot. "Adonai sent you, didn't he?" She was talking in a low voice.

"Who else." He glanced down at her. "Why are you here?"

"Answers. I'm here for answers."

He nodded and then placed his hand on one of the doors. Vitoria followed his example and placed hers on the other door. Their eyes met for a brief second. Then, Alvar gave a stern nod and both of the doors swung open (and a bell rang) as the pair entered the workshop.

The workshop was simple; a staircase on the right side that, presumably, led towards the real house of Damian, a long table that almost touched the walls opposite from each other – the table was completely stacked with books, papers, glass tubes and other things one didn't see often. Behind the table a man stood, holding a couple of papers in his hand. He looked up and his expression went blank, his eyes widening as he dropped the papers.

No one had the opportunity to say anything, because as soon as Damian laid eyes on Alvar, he turned around and fled through the back door.

"Great," Vitoria commented as Alvar sighed annoyed. Then he jumped over the table and ran after Damian, leaving her alone in the workshop.

She didn't know for how long she had been standing in the workshop (not _that_ long honestly), when she saw Alvar walking back with Damian. Damian was way more out of breath than Alvar. The Assassin pushed the man into his own workshop. Damian stumbled and if it wasn't for the table standing there, he would have fallen down face-first.

The dark-skinned man held his hand up innocently as Alvar neared him.

"Why did you run away?" Alvar demanded, his tone harsh, his eyes as cold as ice.

When Damian realized Alvar wasn't going to punch him, he stood a little straighter and made sure his clothes weren't dirty anymore. "I know your kind. What you call yourselves speaks more words than you may think. I had every right to run away, _Assassin_," he hissed. He was obviously not liking this situation – and who could blame him? An Assassin on the doorstep would have forced anyone to run.

"So, who are you and what are you doing here?" He quirked his brow questioningly at Vitoria.

"My name is Vitoria Terian. This is Alvar. We are here for... different reasons." Had she imagined the change of expression in Damian's face when she introduced herself?

"Yes. I am here for the poison," Alvar growled with a dark tone in his voice. He was probably talking about the poison Ion had gotten in his system a couple of days before.

Damian seemed to be confused. "Poison?"

"The poison that makes you see things that aren't there. The Templars are currently using this poison." It was clear that Alvar had grown impatient with this man.

Damian finally realized what he was talking about. "Oh, _that_ poison."

"What can you tell me about it?"

The man seemed to be intimidated by Alvar. He was walking backwards until he bumped into the table, while Alvar had been taking steps forward. He was clearly considering his words. When a hidden blade appeared from Alvar's wrist, Damian seemed to be convinced. He cleared his throat.

"Well... I have heard that the Templars bought the poison in China. I am not sure what is put in the poison, but I do know that _that_ isn't the only thing they've taken back from China. Some kind of flammable powder is in their hands as well – I have never seen anything quite like it. A curious substance. Anyway, I know they have stored the substance in a warehouse near the harbour."

Alvar narrowed his eyes as he took a step back – giving Damian a little bit of space. "How do you know this?"

"I overheard a conversation I wasn't supposed to overhear."

"So the Templars aren't aware of the fact that you know this information?"

Damian shook his head. "No."

Alvar seemed rather pleased with this while Damian shifted his eyes over to Vitoria who had been silently listening to the conversation. He gave her a keen glance.

"I wasn't aware that _Assassins_ worked in pairs now," he said disapprovingly, glancing at her outfit.

"They don't. I am here for me." Vitoria took a couple of steps towards him – not threatening or anything like that, just casually – and smiled without showing her teeth. "I was told by Arastoo that you knew my father – and may have some answers for me."

Damian frowned and gave Alvar an unreadable expression, then turned his gaze back on her. "I don't think I'm the right person for that."

Now she was frowning. "What? I don't understand. You knew my father, right?"

The dark-skinned man chucked lightly. "Oh, yes. I knew him. But I think it's best to ask your uncle these questions."

Vitoria's head was suddenly completely empty. "Wh... What?"

It was at this moment that Damian realized what was going on. "Ah, he hasn't told you anything. Typical. And you..." His eyes shifted towards Alvar. "You didn't tell her either?" He made a disapproving sound, which Alvar silenced by taking a step in his direction.

Vitoria gave the two men a blank look and finally her gaze stopped at Alvar. "What is he talking about, Alvar? Is it true?"

The Assassin seemed to consider his words carefully, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever, then he sighed. "It is. Your father had a brother."

She wanted to scream. Or ran. Anything. The secrets were dizzying. The world was dizzying. She needed to sit down. She needed a drink. However, none of these things happened. She just stood there, staring in disbelief at Alvar. There was only one question that remained – even though she already had a feeling.

"Who?" she asked in a low, soft and innocent voice. Alvar almost seemed to be apologetic.

"Adonai. It's Adonai."


	21. When Words Fail

**Hi guyz!**

**It's been a while. My apologies. I had to study for a couple of tests the past weeks, but that's all over now so yay!**

**Also I would like to say thanks to everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed the story. And of course all of you who are actually reading it. You guys are the best. Thank you.**

**MrJaffaJack: Hahaha, the plottwist wasn't bad for V. Adonai is like the coolest man to have as an uncle. She was just a little disappointed to say the least. ^^**

**IcedFireFrenzy: Good job for guessing that. I know that when I'm reading a story I Always guess wrong. That's why I'll never become a detective. lol.**

**I am quite sure that you'll love this chapter. dunno why though...**

**Anyway, have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

Vitoria was leaning against a wall, her eyes staring towards nothing in particular, her expression completely blank. From the outside she looked as if nothing was wrong. From the inside she was screaming. And the reason was because no one told her anything that mattered. Her father was the main reason – he hadn't told her anything. He _failed to mention_ they owned a mansion, they were rich, she had an uncle – and even a grandfather.

_Why did no one ever tell her anything? _

"Vitoria?" Her silence had not gone unnoticed and the two men – Alvar and Damian – were still standing with her in the workshop. No one had moved or spoken a word after the quite shocking revelation. She didn't know if she was able to speak calmly, for anger was boiling deep inside of her.

Her eyes shifted to the Assassin. "How long have you known this?" Her voice was calm, almost too calm.

Alvar seemed to study her for a moment, considering his words before speaking. _Oh, he should be considering his words carefully, _Vitoria thought bitterly.

"I knew from the beginning. Adonai and Nicon were briefly the Mentors – every Assassin knew who they were," he was speaking slowly, almost entirely sure that whatever he said to her at this moment, would not matter. Her eyes, her tensed posture, the colour on her cheeks – this all revealed that she was not happy, to say the least. Also, Alvar knew an angry woman when he saw one.

"From the beginning. Oh that is just _marvellous_. So every Assassin in _that_ mansion knew this?" Vitoria looked at him keenly, making sure she witnessed every change of expression in his face.

Alvar sighed and turned his gaze towards Damian. He was aware that this would take a while. "I suggest you take a walk."

"But this is my worksh-"

"Take a walk."

Damian received a withering glare, then sighed and did as he was told. He exited his workshop through the back door to give the two some privacy.

Alvar watched Damian disappear from view and finally glanced back towards Vitoria, who was still staring him down, waiting for an answer. "Every Assassin was aware of this, yes."

Vitoria felt stupid. She had been living with her uncle and she didn't even notice. She didn't even _know_. "Why hasn't anyone told me this?"

"Adonai told us to not say anything unless you asked. We were only allowed to answer," he replied simply.

Vitoria threw her hands in the air. "Oh that's just great. Great! I didn't even know I had any kind of family left. How was I supposed to ask questions about something I did not know existed?" She started pacing the room. "That's smart. And cruel. I mean, didn't I have the right to know?" The young woman stopped walking and looked up at him with quirked brows.

Alvar merely shrugged. "To be honest, we didn't know who you were at the time. We didn't care either."

Vitoria rolled her eyes, looking away. "I understand you didn't tell me right away, but..." Her words trailed off as she stared out of the window. Why was she surprised about this? It was typical. Alvar was a man who put the Creed before anything else. If Adonai asked him to do something, he did it. Any Assassin was, because no one had told her this – no one even _tried_ to tell her this.

She wiped a hand over her face. "It's... It's fine. Really. Although, it would have been nicer if someone – anyone – had told me this earlier."

Alvar looked at her from under his hood with an expression Vitoria could not quite decipher. After a moment, he closed the distance between them with three steps. She tried to remember how to breathe. She couldn't possibly stay mad at someone like him. Even if she tried.

"Do not think for one second that it had been easy to keep this from you." His words were soft as he was glancing down at her. His eyes held a warm spark – something she had never seen before in _his_ eyes. Ever. She tried to think of something to say, but her mind was only worrying about the hammering of her heart and whether he was able to hear it.

Vitoria had to look away to keep sanity alive in her head. Due to her action, she missed the change of expression on Alvar's face; he was amused. Even if she wasn't staring in his dark eyes, it was hard to function normally. Him standing this close to her; close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body, to notice the details on his robes, to hear him breathe...

"Vitoria,"

His voice shifted her gaze back to him; something she shouldn't have done, for now her gaze was locked with his – she couldn't look away anymore. He seemed to consider his words carefully.

Alvar never made it to saying these words out loud, Vitoria had already locked her lips onto his. She hadn't even thought this through – she didn't have to, because Alvar reacted the way she wanted: wrapping one arm around her, pulling her close(r), while his other hand rested partly on her cheek and partly on her neck. The most amazing feeling was washing over her, tingling her entire body, making her feel as if everything was right and nothing could ever go wrong.

After that moment that had felt like a lifetime, Vitoria managed to say as both of them retreated to a comfortable distance: "I should talk to Adonai."

"I hope that talk doesn't end up like this one did."

She gave Alvar a blink, then laughed. "Humour! That's new. Also... yuk."

* * *

The two of them had just arrived back at the mansion, when Ion walked up to them.

"Ah! Perhaps one of you know where Sophia is, hmm?" He glanced between the two of them, his eyes narrowed slowly as he studied both their expression – then he became suspicious, but did not say anything.

"I saw her this morning. Isn't she in her room?" Vitoria cocked her head a little, questioningly.

Ion shook his head. "Nope. Oh well, Elene is nowhere to be found either, so they probably are together..."

She shrugged. "They must be somewhere around this mansion." Her thoughts went back to the morning where she found Sophia sitting on the floor opposite from her bedchamber. Vitoria prayed fervently Sophia wasn't too stupid... Anyway, she had to do something first before worrying about her best friend, who was probably doing something with Elene. Vitoria's eyes glanced over the closed library doors, which meant that Adonai was busy. _Busy. _He either was mentoring one of his pupils or just reading some dull book.

"Anyway, I have to..." She slipped past Ion and rested her hand on one of the doorknobs from the library, while she glanced back at Alvar – who returned her gaze. Then, she glanced at Ion, who had been studying both of them with a frown.

"Do you ever just wait until he's _not_ busy? I once busted into the library and the consequences that followed are still haunting me to this very day." He shuddered to emphasize the point he was making.

"Well, I believe that's the difference between family and non-family."

Ion's skin turned a shade closer to death, his previous expressions were completely wiped off his face. He gave her a blank stare, then he turned his head towards Alvar, whose features were cleared of any sign that made him a human being.

Even though Vitoria would have loved to stay in that corridor and observe the shocked Ion, she could not. She had to speak to Adonai. So, she gave Alvar a final glance before entering the library as silently as she could.

Vitoria was relieved to see Adonai wasn't mentoring a pupil or anything like that – he was flipping through a book, without looking up at the person who had entered.

The first step one took into the library was always the worst; the floorboards always made your presence known. Then again, she didn't have the intention to sneak up on him (even if she had, something like that was impossible, especially when she decided to do it). She took a couple of steps into the library, as her eyes were glued to him. Somehow he was different to her than before.

Vitoria refused to speak until he decided to acknowledge her presence. When he did, she didn't have to start the conversation.

"You know," he stated simply. This didn't surprise her in the slightest bit – it was probably written all over her face that she knew _something_.

Adonai closed the book before him and placed it on the corner of his desk, his gaze remained on her.

Vitoria wasn't sure whether to be angry with him or not. She felt like he deserved a couple of angry remarks, but the words failed her. So she decided to question him instead. She started with the most obvious question at hand:

"Why didn't you tell me?"

The Mentor seemed to weigh his words carefully before speaking. "It was never the right time."

His answer should have made her furious, but somehow it didn't. It suddenly became a lot clearer. Her father telling her to trust the Assassins – indirectly he told her to trust his own brother. Also, this was the reason why she was allowed to stay in this mansion (even though Adonai had made her feel like it was her decision – it really wasn't. She was aware of this now). If Adonai hadn't been her uncle, it all would have gone differently. She understood a little bit more of her father's childhood – he had a brother. They were both born into the Creed because of her grandfather Thane. Finally, they became both Mentors too. And then...Well, her father met her mother and they got her. Adonai met another woman and got rejected – she really shouldn't be thinking about this now, but she was just putting things into perspective. Her father left the mansion (she had lived the first couple of years here, or so she was told), her mother died and from there on she knew what happened.

"Are the pieces of the puzzle falling into place?" While she had thought about all that, Adonai rose from his chair and took a couple of steps towards her – narrowing the space between them just a little.

"Kind of," she murmured more to herself. Her eyes shifted from the bookshelves she had been staring at, to her uncle's. She was frowning. "Is there... Is there more you have been keeping from me, because if there is... I would like to know." Vitoria was giving him a keen look. Any twitch in his jaw, any shimmer in his eye, any _sign_ of lying and she would have picked it up. She would have known. But Adonai's face didn't change; whatever he was about to say – it weren't lies. He was completely honest.

"I am not hiding any more from you, Vitoria."

And she believed him.


	22. Thoughtless Actions

**Hey guyz!**

**Another chappie just for you. Isn't it great?**

**MrJaffaJack: Nope, I do not consider myself 'good' at writing romance. This is the first time I'm doing it lol.**

**kykyxstandler: hahahaah, hooray for the kiss =3**

**Don't have a lot to say today. I'm just looking forward to all of your reactions when the big twists are coming. :] But that'll take a couple of chapters, soooooo..**

**Anyway, have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

"I have a question for you," Vitoria murmured as she was sitting across from Alvar in the kitchen. Her elbows were placed on the table and her head leaning on her hands as she continued staring at the Assassin in front of her. They were the only ones in the kitchen. Ion was – no doubt – looking for Sophia (who probably run off with Elene), and Dryas was looking for his sister. Leon was probably helping them.

"Hm?" he replied, his face turning her way to show her that he was listening. Alvar still had his serious expression, but he was much more calm – much more relaxed – than the first time they met... which was he pushing her down to the ground.

Vitoria moved one arm on the table and drew imaginary circles on it as she formed the sentence in her head. "What happened between you and Lazar? I know Lazar's an ass, but..." she trailed off as her eyes shifted back to Alvar's. The woman was sure of it that he was studying her. A long silence between them, before he finally spoke up.

"Both of my parents were Assassins. My mother died when I was very young, I cannot remember her. My father died when I was twelve years old. I was born into the Creed, just like Lazar, so we know each other for a long time. Our fathers were friends, Lazar and I were rivals. But we were no enemies – we may even have been friends at some point, but that didn't last long." A shadow was crossing his face as he spoke – his expressions had darkened.

"What changed?" she murmured softly.

"Our fathers had been in a fight. I cannot remember what about. However, they sparred the same day, but their anger was doing most of the fighting. It had been Lazar's father who couldn't restrain himself. He strangled him. By the time he realized what he was doing, it was already too late."

Vitoria had a sympathetic look on her face as she eyed the Assassin. She had no idea something like that had happened to him. Of course, she had been aware of his parents' absence – but that didn't mean that they were dead. And now, she just felt bad for him. Alvar grew up in this mansion, which means his father must have been killed in the trainings ring. The same trainings ring he eyed every day.

There were no words that could explain the way she was feeling for him, so she asked with a soft voice: "What happened next?"

Alvar's expressions had not changed. There was no emotion written in his dark eyes; he was hiding them – as always. "Lazar's father had broken a tenet, killed a brother, so that meant he was facing death. But, Adonai didn't want to kill him in front of Lazar, so he left with Lazar's father for a day. And then came back without him. Lazar was devastated. He blamed me for his father's death, while I blamed him for mine."

Vitoria was speechless. What could one say after such story? She had looked away, trying to find the right words. "I..."

Her words were cut off by laughter – more of a giggle. Her eyes met Alvar's briefly, then both of them turned to face the doorway. Another giggle, then someone shushing. A brief silence, whereupon footsteps could be heard.

Finally, Elene appeared in the doorway with a triumphant smile on her face. She hummed as she entered the kitchen and made a sandwich for herself.

"What are you smiling about?" Vitoria asked curious as she turned towards the humming Elene.

"Oh, nothing," she answered mysteriously – one could hear the smile as she spoke.

Vitoria made a face to Alvar, when suddenly she remembered something. "Hey, where is Sophia?"

Elene shrugged. "Haven't seen her since yesterday." When she was done making her sandwich, she plopped down on a chair next to a confused Vitoria.

Alarmed, Vitoria gave the woman next to her a sideways glance. "What do you mean _you haven't seen her_?" She had been certain of it that Sophia and Elene ran off _together. _Where the hell is her friend?

The answer came faster than anticipated, for the sound of footsteps could be heard in the hallway, again. Only this time the sound was deeper and faster. Not long after, a panting Leon appeared in the hallway. He looked troubled. Leon took a moment to steady his breathing before saying:

"We have a problem."

* * *

Running. _Sprinting_.

The pounding noise of her shoes resonated off the walls of the alleys she darted through with clanging echoes. Her heart was throbbing inside her chest with fear as Vitoria almost ran into someone. She stumbled around, trying to dodge the woman who had gotten in her way and succeeded. She quickly regained her balance and sprinted further. Beads of sweat were running down her spine, but she was sure of it that it wasn't due to the weather that day.

The Great Plaza was in complete chaos. An enormous crowd had gathered, standing before the wooden stand, yelling and screaming at the two people standing behind the hanging nooses. Their arms were tied behind their backs – one of them was just a kid and had to stand on a bucket, placed upside down.

Vitoria was pushing people aside, shoving them out of her way as the gallows came into view. She froze on the spot. Her breath caught in her throat as she stood there in a cold sweat. A man on the right was yelling accusations, but he could not yell over the screaming of the crowd – Vitoria could only hear that they were both being accused of treason. _Treason. _

Anger rose in the pit of Vitoria's stomach as she watched. Sophia and her little brother Renoz were standing on the stand. Renoz was crying, his eyes looking down at his feet as Sophia was staring off in the distance, eyes red and puffy. This was an indication that she had been crying. The absent of their mother wasn't gone unnoticed by Vitoria and bothered her greatly.

_Sophia, what have you done?_

Vitoria continued shoving people aside with such anger that they gave her annoyed glances. She had no idea what she was doing – probably something stupid – but she had to do _something_. The man was almost done with his false-accusation-list. One could imagine what would happen next. So she had to do something about it.

She was almost at the front of the crowds, then she had to run past the guards, who were keeping the crowd at a comfortable distance from the gallows, and then...

A strong hand grabbed her arm and made her stop. She blinked as everything, except Sophia and Renoz, that had been blurred out in her vision, started to get through to her head again. She turned to see who was keeping her from this.

"Whatever you are thinking right now, stop," Alvar whispered as he pulled her next to him.

Dumbfounded, Vitoria eyed him. She couldn't read his expression, for he had pulled his hood over his head. "But... we have to save them," she said bluntly as her eyes shifted back towards Sophia and Renoz. One of the guards put the nooses around their necks.

"And _we_ will," he answered simply. Alvar's head turned to the rooftops of the buildings behind her and he gave a simple nod towards the gallows.

Vitoria noticed Sophia was crying.

Alvar stepped in front of her, one hand resting on the handle of his long sword, the other behind his back. Vitoria noticed he was holding two odd, little balls in his hand she had never seen before. They seemed to be... lit?

She was about to question this, when he threw them both: one he dropped, the other he threw towards the gallows. Before a greyish, thick smoke surrounded her completely, she could see he wasn't the only one who had dropped these 'smoke balls'.

The crowd started to scream as they began to flee the Great Plaza. Vitoria was coughing as she tried to get out of the smoke that was filling her lungs, people were running past her, and over her. She was stumbling in every direction as people were now shoving her out of their way. She couldn't but see only the greyish colour of the smoke that made her eyes sting.

Finally, she managed to get out of it. Some people were watching curiously, others weren't even in the slightest interested. Guards were rushing over.

Vitoria turned around. The smoke was already slowly disappearing. When it was completely gone, there were three guards on the ground, the rest of the guards were looking disoriented.

There was no sign of Renoz, Sophia or Alvar.

With a confused expression written across her face, she walked away from the Great Plaza. If the Assassins saved them, they would be back at the mansion. Which meant she had to go home.

The trip back to the mansion was short and confused. She walked the slightly winding road towards the mansion, up the four steps and opened the front door with her key.

Voices overwhelmed her as she closed the door behind her. The group, existing of Leon, Dryas, Ion, Alvar, Elene, Sophia and Renoz were all in the kitchen. They had given the kid some food, but he hadn't touched it yet. The little man was too busy with staring at the hooded man, blinking tears away. Sophia was holding his hand, but also talking (and crying) to Elene. The four men were standing at the other side of the table. Dryas and Ion were talking quietly, Leon was giving Alvar a couple of unreadable glances.

When she appeared in the doorway, she was greeted with a couple of nods. Her eyes looked around the room briefly (she noticed the anger of Ion first, for he was never angry) then her eyes gazed upon Sophia, whose back was turned towards her.

Vitoria thought briefly of what to say to her. She was an idiot for turning herself in (or that was what she thought had happened), but Vitoria was also relieved seeing her friend alive.

Before she could say anything, Elene had already nodded toward her, making Sophia turn around. Her eyes were just as puffy and her cheeks just as wet as when she had been standing behind the noose. Sophia rose from her chair, stumbled her way towards her friend and wrapped her arms around her neck tightly.

"They killed her before our eyes. I was too late," Sophia whispered almost inaudible. She was talking about Maria – about her mother. She turned herself in, trying to save her mother and brother. If that wasn't brave, the woman didn't know what was.

Vitoria's eyes shifted towards Renoz, who shambled towards her and grabbed her hand. The poor kid didn't know anyone but her and his sister. The ten-year-old wrapped an arm around his sister's waist, while holding Vitoria's hand. She knew the Malia family almost her entirely life and they were kind hearted. They didn't deserve this. No one in Greece deserved _this_.

Vitoria ran a hand through Renoz' hair and pulled Sophia closer. She noticed Ion walking away as Leon followed the man, Dryas strolling over to Elene and finally Alvar, who gave her a warm(er) glance.

"I am sorry, Sophia. I am so sorry," she murmured as she listened to her friend's sobs.


	23. The Warehouse

**Heya!**

**Back again whoohoo. **

**MrJaffaJack: You know, I haven't thought about it in that way. But no. They're just friends. xd**

**kykyxstandler: hahahaa, yeah sorry about that :-]**

**So, a little more exciting chapter and a lot of different POV's. On a different note; exams are coming up, so idk if this will interrupt the posting process. If so, you know why. :)**

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

With crossed arms, Alvar watched two Assassins sparring in the trainings ring. They were throwing punching at each other, dodging, rolling and jumping. Alvar's eyes followed every move both of them made. He noticed sloppy mistakes, he predicted their next move. He was trained to 'foresee' his opponent's attack. One could predict this by watching his opponent carefully – his posture, which side he preferred... It would take a lot of beatings, a lot of picking yourself up from the ground, a lot of time and patience, but, in the end, anyone who _truly_ wanted to master such skill, was able to do it.

One of the Assassins hit his opponent on the jaw, making the man stumble – and eventually fall – to the ground. However, the man got up immediately, dodging the next attack and ran towards the other end of the ring to get a few seconds of air.

"Who do you think is going to win this fight?"

The voice had come from behind, and the Mentor stepped beside him. Their glances were directed on the trainings ring.

"The one on the left," Alvar answered without hesitation.

"Why?"

Alvar let a moment pass between them as he watched the two Assassins fight one more time. "Because his opponent is leaning too much to the right, making him slower in his movements. The man is aware of this and will use this against his opponent." As soon as Alvar had said this, the man on the left raised his arm at the elbow to ward off the blow. Quickly, he moved over to the right side of his opponent and kicked him in the back of the knee, making him lose his balance. He fell to the ground. The Assassin accepted his defeat when his opponent was kneeling over him, his hands on his throat. He nodded at the man towering over him and the fight was over. The winning Assassin helped his brother to his feet and they started to chat.

"Well done, Alvar. Walk with me." The Master strolled away from him, hands clasped behind his back as Alvar followed him quickly. They walked slowly away from the mansion. Adonai was enjoying this stroll much more than Alvar.

"I noticed Vitoria has become rather fond of you. And you have become rather fond of her too."

Alvar kept a straight face as he let his glance wander. He had known this conversation would come. He was Vitoria's uncle, after all. The Assassin could think of a couple of replies, but all were rude, so he kept his mouth shut.

Upon hearing Alvar's silence, Adonai stopped walking and turned towards his pupil. He studied him for a long time, before sighing. "Alvar, we are not here to discuss whether I am against it or not. I may be your mentor, and her uncle, but it is not my place to tell you that. I wanted to let you know that I have grown fond of Vitoria, too. I wanted to keep her safe, but instead I dragged her further in..." He spoke as his eyes wandered off into the distance. He directed his attention back at Alvar. "What I am trying to say is... whatever comes next, whatever mischief she is up to, keep her safe, preferably out of it all."

Alvar eyed his Mentor with furrowed brows, then nodded. "Of course," he mumbled, his voice slightly covered in surprise.

Adonai nodded, pleased with his pupil's answer. His eyes glanced over to the training grounds where a couple of Assassins were training. "Damian Levantis told you the Templars stocked a flammable powder in a warehouse near the harbour. Check it out and destroy it. Take Leon with you."

Alvar bowed before Adonai. "It will be done, Master. And, if I may ask... Are you against it?"

The Mentor's eyes twinkled as he spoke. "As I said, it is not my place." He gave his pupil an unreadable expression, before turning around and walking in the direction of the stables. Alvar watched him for a moment, realizing that this was Adonai saying _he was not against it. _

The Assassin turned towards the training grounds, his eyes searching for Leon.

* * *

Vitoria opened the curtains in Sophia's bedchamber to let the light in the room. For a brief moment she watched the outside world awaken, whereupon her friend interrupted her thoughts with a grunt. Sophia covered her face with the covers of the bed, mumbling something to herself.

Vitoria turned around, her eyes glancing at the plate with food she had left last night for Sophia. She hadn't eaten the food, probably not even glanced at the plate.

The woman sighed, as she walked over to Sophia and sat down next to her on the bed. "You should eat something."

Just like an angry child, Sophia turned her back at Vitoria, staring hard at the wall before her. "I am not hungry."

Vitoria gave her friend a sympathetic look, even though she did not notice it. She remembered how she felt when her father just died, and she understood Sophia's behaviour – pushing people away, being angry. It was a natural reaction. "Sophia..."

"Can you just leave me alone, please? If you want to help, go see if Renoz is alright."

Vitoria nodded quietly – something Sophia also could not see – and took the full plate of food with her out of Sophia's bedchamber. With the plate in her hand, she looked for Renoz on the first floor. When she didn't find the ten-year-old boy on the first floor, she walked down the stairs, placed the plate on the kitchen counter (she would clean it later) and walked in the library. The doors had been open, meaning Adonai was not busy, or, in this case, wasn't there.

Vitoria walked through the rows of bookshelves, whispering the little boy's name. She ascended the stairs, looked around and finally noticed the boy standing in front of the giant window. The woman quietly walked over to him, standing beside him and studying him. He seemed to be amazed by the Assassins. His eyes wide as he watched them train and fight.

"Have you eaten yet, Renoz?" she asked kindly while studying the little boy.

He nodded. "Elene has given me some food." He continued staring out of the window, gazing upon the training grounds. "Are they... bad?"

Vitoria followed his glance and watched the Assassins train. She noticed Adonai walking towards the training grounds. "No. They are good men, even though they do not seem like it."

Renoz eyes sparkled upon hearing this, but he did not say anything. He just kept watching them. The two of them stood there a little longer, when she gave him a pat on his head and started to walk away.

"Vitoria?" he then asked quietly.

The woman turned to face him, her head a little cocked to the side.

"My sister is really sad, isn't she?" Renoz turned his back to the window and glanced at her.

"Yes, she is." Vitoria walked back to him and kneeled before him to look him in his eyes. "Aren't you sad?"

The boy shrugged, his eyes glancing at the floorboards beneath them. "I don't know."

A silence fell between them as Vitoria tried to think of something to say.

"I just hope my sister's going to be alright," he mumbled, his head hanging.

"Don't you worry about your sister, Renoz. We will all take good care of her. And of you, of course." She ran her hand through his thick, dark blonde hair and gave him a reassuring smile. The little boy nodded, then turned around again to look out the window.

Vitoria gave him a last glance before she went down the stairs.

* * *

Alvar was gazing down at the harbour, his eyes following every sailor and not-sailor. Some were carrying heavy cargo from the ships they have sailed. Others were taking a rest, laughing, drinking as usual. And when Alvar looked at the harbour, he could not see any difference from before – it was as if all but the harbour was taken over by guards and fear. His eyes flicked over to the sea, that was covering most of the view. The wind that gusted from the opposite direction, gave the surface of the sea a look akin to shattered glass while waves crashed against the docks.

"I could sit here all day," Leon murmured. He was standing beside Alvar, on a rooftop. They had been looking for the warehouse where this peculiar substance was stored, but so far they had not found anything mysterious. The Assassin grinned a little as he gazed upon two drunken sailors singing a song as they stumbled forward.

Alvar concentrated and suddenly the guards got a red-ish glow around them, making them easier spottable for him. He noticed a couple of guards standing on the docks, some were walking on a ship, but nothing seemed unusual to him. A thought crossed his mind: _What if Damian lied to him?_

"We should move to another side, Alvar," Leon told his friend as he started climbing the building next to him. Alvar followed, still watching his surroundings.

"So... What's the deal with you and Vitoria?" Leon had been eager to ask this question for some time now, however, at the moment, he tried to play it cool. As usual.

Alvar was acting as if he wasn't paying attention. "What?"

Leon narrowed his eyes in suspicion, a sly grin tugging at the corners of his lips. When Alvar made the mistake to look Leon in the eyes for merely seconds, he knew. At first, Leon was happy, but then he realized something and suddenly his expression changed to... defeat?

"Ah dammit. Thanks, man."

Alvar stopped for a moment, frowning at his friend. He had expected a lot of different reactions. This was not one of them. "What?" he repeated.

Leon stared at him with an empty expression. "Well, now I owe Ion money," he explained, already feeling cantankerous at the thought of giving Ion his money. The only thing that cheered him up again was the thought of Dryas owing Ion money. He couldn't wait to see the big guy's face when...

He got pulled out of his thoughts by Alvar snapping his fingers in his face.

"I reckon you lost the bet," Alvar said disapprovingly. It wasn't the first time his friends had bet money on things that may have happened to him, or they would bet on whether it was going to happen to him.

"No kidding," Leon grunted. "Someday you'll make me poor." The two Assassins started to walk again.

"Well, you shouldn't underestimate my social skills." Alvar was no idiot, he knew that they probably bet on whether or not he would kiss Vitoria. Leon and Dryas always seem to underestimate him in such things.

"Ah, whatever." The man shrugged, while at the same time humouring Alvar with his attitude. Then, finally, something unusual caught Alvar's eye and he tapped his friend on the shoulder and pointed at it. It was a building, a warehouse, but the only thing that distinguished this warehouse from all the others was the number of Templar guards stationed before and in the building.

"That must be it," Leon whispered, suddenly the Assassin became cautious. "How many guards?"

Alvar narrowed his eyes as he focused. "Three guarding the one and only door. Two guarding the east side, two guarding the west side, and another three guards guarding the rear of the building."

"And that's only outside the building..." Leon commented wearily.

Alvar focused himself on the inside of the building. "There are a lot of guards inside. I believe ten, but I..." He stopped talking mid-sentence, grabbing Leon and bringing both of them down, so that they could not be spotted by the two men walking their way.

"What the..." Leon hissed as both of them gazed down from the rooftop they were on. The two men walking beneath them towards the warehouse were familiar. Well, one of them was. The other one was just another guard.

"Fancy rich guy. Why are all Templars fancy rich guys? I knew I joined the wrong side. Is it too late to change?" Leon murmured dryly as he watched the two Templars walk by. "Who is he?" he finally asked.

"The _fancy rich guy_, as you so elegantly put it, is named Evando Kellis. I believe he is the right hand of the Grand Master himself..."

Leon gave his friend a sideways glance. He had the feeling the man wasn't done introducing this man – and, of course, Leon was curious what else Alvar had to say about this man. He tried to give Alvar a piercing look.

Alvar rolled his eyes. "He also had a thing with Vitoria, if you _must_ know."

Confused, Leon turned his head back at this so-called Evando guy. Then, finally, he shook his head in disbelief. "There'll be a day where I am going to write a book about all of this. And for the hell of it, I'm going to make Vitoria the protagonist and as a writer I'm going to mess up this little thing you two got going with this Evando guy and it's going to be great..."

Alvar watched Leon for a moment, while he was making up the story right before his eyes. Then he returned to the world of the living, and said: "Alright, I'm done."

Alvar rolled his eyes again, and he thought for a moment, his eyes staring at the waves of the sea before him. "We need to get inside that building. The windows aren't big enough for us, so we can only enter through those doors – which will be unlocked when Evando gets inside. I am guessing there's not much light in there, and they certainly won't light a candle if the powder is as flammable as they say. So hiding in the shadows won't be a problem. Getting inside will..."

Leon was also thinking about the situation. "We can start at the rear of the building. Then you'll go west, and I east, clearing the way as we go. At the front side..."

"We'll improvise. We just have to make sure that we can hear whatever Evando has to say."

Leon nodded. "Understood."

* * *

Evando Kellis was patiently waiting until the guard had opened the doors of the warehouse he was standing before. Dax, the guard with the southern accent he had met upon entering the Cave, was with him. He liked the man, so he had asked – ordered – to come with him.

When the doors swung open, Evando was met with a hideous sight. "Filipe Barbas. My least favourite person in this world," the Templar mumbled as he entered the warehouse, passing Filipe Barbas. Dax followed him, giving the money-grubber a keen glance.

"Honestly, I am surprised the Grand Master gave you a task at all. I hope you did not sell any of this?" Evando looked back at the small man, with quirked brows.

Filipe's expression had darkened. "Of course not," he hissed, not pleased to see the man.

Evando turned his gaze back at the decent amount of stacked barrels of gunpowder, that were stocked in this warehouse. Most of the barrels contained Chinese letters, for they had imported them from China.

"What are you doing here, exactly?" Filipe asked.

Evando ignored the man for a moment, looking around and giving Dax a quick glance, before finally turning to Filipe. "We have been compromised, I am sure you have heard that." Evando waited until Filipe told him otherwise, but the man did not speak. However, Evando was quite sure of it that he hadn't heard anything. "Anyway, the threat has been taken care of. This Damian is not speaking a single word anymore. So, what am I doing here, you asked? I am here to give you orders."

Filipe rolled his eyes. "Alright, and what are your orders?"

"Destroy the warehouse. Burn it to the ground. That'd be all." Evando turned around and walked away, leaving a confused Filipe behind. He wanted to question these peculiar orders, but Evando – and Dax – were already gone. So he ordered the men to stand at the entrance, while two of them grabbed a barrel of powder and walked backwards to the entrance, creating a thin line of powder that followed them.

When they were done, they threw the barrel aside. Filipe had noticed the lack of guards at the front, and realized something. He lit the trail of gunpowder, closed (and locked) the doors of the warehouse and left.

"Well, this is great," Leon mumbled as he watched as Alvar was trying to pick the lock. The two Assassins had sneaked in the warehouse, and hid behind a couple of barrels. They had heard what Evando said about Damian being murdered.

"You know, if I had known the Templars would blow this up all by themselves, I wouldn't have come with you, regardless what the Mentor had said."

Alvar tried to focus. "Can't you just interrupt the trail, so that we won't get blown sky high?"

Leon was already making his way towards the end of the trail, but then realized that it was no use. The sparkling flame was almost at the end of the trail and if he would run towards it now, he would be too late. So trying was not an option.

The Assassin turned around and ran towards the door. "No time," he yelled as he miraculously busted the door open and grabbed Alvar with him. Both of them jumped into the water before them as a loud explosion could be heard behind them. A fiery ball of yellow flame billowed out of the entrance of the warehouse, haunting them as they met with the cold of the seawater before it could touch them.


	24. A Letter From The Dead

**Hey guys!**

**So once again I have returned to leave this thingy here. **

**MrJaffaJack: Hahaha yup. I probably watch too many films but hey, you have to do something in your spare time. **

**IcedFireFrenzy: Yeah, Leon is a really lovable character. I really like him too. And maybe he will write that book huh? Who knows? This chapter contains Leon as the lovable man he is too. :]**

**So we're almost at the end of this story. Well, kind a. We still have to get through the craziest part. It's gonna be horrible. It's gonna be awesome. **

**Hope you have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

Vitoria descended the stone staircase, an empty plate in her hands. She had brought some breakfast to Renoz, talked to him and now she was on her way to the kitchen. Renoz had told her little bits and pieces of what happened to him when he and his mother were taken by the City Watch. They had been locked up in cells and had to remain there until Sophia turned herself in. However, a lot of people were obviously angry with the king's actions and tried to escape (some succeeded). The City Watch reacted angrily – by order of the king, no doubt. They killed a couple of prisoners, including Maria, Sophia's mother, as a warning to the rest of the prisoners. Sophia had just turned herself in and was being accompanied to her cell when it all happened. She and Renoz had both seen their mother die in front of their eyes. It was horrible, to say the least.

Vitoria was about to enter the kitchen with the plate, when she noticed Ion and Sophia sitting at the table. Ion's expressive eyes met hers briefly and with a subtle head-gesture he told her not to enter – not to interrupt.

Vitoria understood, so she just backed up and placed the plate quietly on the floor, next to the kitchen door. She then moved away from the kitchen, towards the library, which doors were fully open. The woman almost bumped into an eye-rolling Assassin as he made his way out of the library. Vitoria watched the man for a moment, wondering. Then the voices of Dryas and Elene could be heard from the library. They were engaging in a bad-tempered quarrel, they were bickering. And because of their loud interactions, the library was completely empty (excluding them, of course). Adonai was probably training one of his pupils and the Assassins obviously couldn't concentrate in here.

With a sigh, Vitoria closed the doors of the library to give the two some privacy (and to keep the peace in the hallway).

She couldn't go to the kitchen, she didn't want to be in the library at the moment... Where could she possibly go now? Her room? Training grounds? Stables?

Vitoria hadn't made up her mind yet – but it didn't matter, because fate decided for her in the form of the sound of knocking. Her eyes shifted towards the front doors in front of her, brows arching. She moved over to one of the doors, opening it.

Her mouth dropped to the floor upon sight of the person standing in the doorway. She gave him a quick glance, then grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the mansion, closing the door behind her.

"So this is what your house looks like from the i-" His words were cut off by Vitoria wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Sam! Where on earth have you been?" Vitoria felt Sam's arms wrapping around her waist as he returned the hug. She hadn't heard of him after the incident of the complaints. She assumed he was taken prisoner, just like the rest of the people.

"Oh, I've been working," he grinned as the two of them let go and faced each other instead.

"Working?" Vitoria questioned, with a cocked head.

The blonde man chuckled. "Yes. I'm with the Resistance. Because of you, we have been quite busy, lately. Which we are very grateful about, if I may add." He smiled in a charming manner, which made her smile too. It seemed only fitting that Sam was in the Resistance, it didn't even surprise her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously. His eyes seemed to sparkle at the thought.

"I was sent by your grandfather, who will be joining me shortly, to fill Adonai in. I also..." his words trailed off as he directed his green eyes on something that was happening behind her. She could read a hint of confusion in his eyes before she turned around to see it for herself.

The sight she saw was confusing, to say the least. Also, it was utterly hilarious. Vitoria tried to restrain herself from laughing.

Alvar and Leon were standing in the hallway, both totally soaked to the bone. Their clothes were dripping wet. They had left a trail of water behind.

"This went differently in my head," Leon commented as his eyes shifted from Vitoria to Sam and back. Alvar did the same.

"What happened?" she asked comically, arching an eyebrow as she waited for the story.

"We jumped in the water," Alvar said, deadpan.

Leon gave his friend a sideways glance. "... After we escaped from an exploding building. It was nothing," he hummed cheerfully.

Vitoria gave Alvar a wary glance, who merely shrugged in return.

"Anyway," Leon continued untroubled, "we were hungry, so we decided to eat something."

Now, Vitoria was clearly amused. "In your wet clothes? Are you crazy?"

Leon strolled over. "Nah, just hungry." He tried to walk past Vitoria, but she blocked the way.

"The kitchen is unavailable at the moment," she murmured, eyeing Leon directly to make sure he got it.

He narrowed his eyes. "Hmm," he thought quietly. "Would you care for a hug?"

Vitoria's eyes widened as she glanced at his clothes. She slowly backed away. He followed. "No. Leon Lethos, I dare you and I _will_ kick you out of this mansion. However, I think Sam would love to have a hug, don't you Sam?"

"Well..." Sam was already in the middle of an excuse, when Leon gave the man a bear-hug. Sam groaned in return. "Thanks," Sam mumbled as he glared at Vitoria, who had walked over to Alvar's side, a triumphant expression covering her face. Leon noticed.

"The reason why I didn't do it is because it's not my job. I'll leave Alvar to that sort of things." The Assassin gave her a confident smile and a wink, while letting go of poor Sam.

Vitoria rolled her eyes, cheeks flushing red. "Leon. After you – both of you – have changed in to something that doesn't drip, I would like _you_ to clean this floor." She crossed her arms, eyeing Leon with the same confidence he had been eyeing her with.

"Just me?" he said indignantly. "What about him?" he pointed towards Alvar.

Vitoria smiled evilly. "Well, I guess that's just the perk of..." She tried to find the right words.

"... dating you?" Leon offered.

She was satisfied with this answer. "Exactly," she mumbled, giving Alvar a sneaky smile. He returned one.

This time it was Leon's turn to roll his eyes. "Alright, alright. I'll do it," he groaned and pulled Alvar with him as he walked back towards the hallway.

She watched the two Assassins until they were out of sight, then she turned around to glance into the amused eyes of Sam. He had an arched brow. "So... you never did tell me anything about _Alvar_?"

Vitoria narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, and this time I won't either." He chuckled at that. "Anyway, what was it that you wanted to tell me before they interrupted?" she cocked her head, interested again in whatever he was about to say. However, an unexpected shadow covered Sam's face, and suddenly Vitoria wasn't so sure if she wanted to know.

"Your grandfather gave this to me and told me I had to give it to you. I don't know why _he_ didn't want to give you it, but..." He trailed off as he searching in his inside pocket of his coat for something. Shortly after, he pulled a letter out of it and handed it over to her. There was only one thing written on the exterior of the letter, and that was her name, written in a handwriting she knew all too well.

"It's from your father."

Vitoria slowly reached for the letter, her eyes never straying from the black ink. "Thank you," she forced the words from her lips, looking up at Sam. She managed to smile at him.

He gave her a nod, a brief silence fell. "I'll leave you to it then. I assume Adonai isn't in there?" Sam pointed at the library doors. Vitoria shook her head.

"He's outside, probably on the training grounds."

Sam smiled warmly at her as he slowly backed up, and turned around, walking towards the training grounds. He left Vitoria standing in the hallway, with the letter in her hands – giving her some privacy.

* * *

Alvar had put on some new clothes and laid the wet ones out somewhere in the sun, before walking over with Leon towards Adonai.

The Mentor was standing with his hands clasped behind his back on the training grounds, watching his pupils. He moved around, gave the men some pointers, and walked on. When he noticed the two Assassins walking towards him, he took a couple of steps away to get some privacy. Patiently, he waited until both of them stood before him. They bowed to show him respect.

"I heard you accomplished the mission," the Mentor told them.

Leon gave a light chuckle. "It is accomplished alright. We didn't do it, though."

The Mentor arched his eyebrows, giving both men a questioning glare.

"The Templars destroyed the whole thing," Alvar explained briefly, studying his Mentor. "Why would they do that?"

Adonai watched the two Assassins in the trainings ring for a moment as he thought about it. "They are toying with us. The Templars must have a stash somewhere else," The Mentor noticed Sam coming out of the mansion, and continued, "but it is not our concern at the moment. Our duty lies elsewhere."

Sam joined the three Assassins shortly after and got permission to speak. "Tomorrow evening, it is happening. The revolution will start. Thane is on his way to talk about the details, but we probably need every Assassin on the streets."

Adonai nodded his head, he had suspected this. It was probably going to take a while before liberty is reached, but every sacrifice was necessary to let Greece be the Greece they once were known for.

* * *

Vitoria was sitting at the table in the kitchen. Alone. Sophia and Ion had just left the kitchen, and now she decided the kitchen was unavailable. In the centre of the table she had placed the letter, still sealed. Her eyes flicked every five seconds towards the piece of paper, then back towards whatever wall she wanted to stare at. These things from the past kept showing up in her life, just when all was well. She kept herself busy- she wasn't thinking about him on a daily basis anymore. And then... things such as these showed up and everything came back to her.

Vitoria sighed, staring absentmindedly at the letter in the centre of the table when a voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"You're not going to read it?"

Alvar was standing with crossed arms in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the wall with one shoulder. He didn't have his hood on, so his dark eyes were glancing around the room, stopping at hers.

Vitoria turned her head, a hint of helplessness painting her eyes. She shrugged. "I don't know," she finally sighed, shifting back into her seat. Her eyes had already flicked back at the letter. In the corner of her eye, she could see Alvar walking over. He sat down on the other side of the table, eyeing the letter carefully, then eyeing her questioningly.

"It's a letter from my father," she filled him in, eyes never straying from that cursed thing.

Alvar nodded his head slowly. "Why wouldn't you read it?" he asked. He merely wanted to know her motive for not reading it – she could understand that much. Her eyes flicked towards his, and stayed there as she thought about the answer.

"I... am afraid," she mumbled in a soft voice. "I fear for what he has written in the letter. He hid things from me- and I know it came with the path he chose. Being an Assassin is incredibly hard and he had hidden that from me. I thought he did that because he _was_ one himself, for Assassins live in a world full of secrets. Then I found out he had a brother- he had hidden that too. That was when I became wary. A father would not have kept that information from his daughter. I realized he wasn't hiding things because he was an Assassin. He hid things because it was in his _nature_ to do so." Her eyes slowly shifted back towards the letter, which laid motionless on the table. "So, I am afraid of what secrets will come out this time, what lies will uncover, for I am quite sure I won't like it." Vitoria had shifted in her seat again and was now leaning against the table, her arms resting on it. She glanced briefly at Alvar, who had been silently listening to every last word she had voiced and she appreciated that. She kind a needed it.

"It is better to live in the painful world that is the truth, than to be oblivious to it entirely," he said after a moment of silence. His eyes held hers as he rose from his chair, gently grabbing the letter. He walked over to her. "If I found out my father left me a letter, I would not question it. I would read it in a heartbeat. You should read it too." He offered her the letter, studying her carefully.

Vitoria eyed her name written in ink. She felt bad for questioning the letter in front of Alvar. His father had died many years ago and it was obvious that he would have done anything to hear one more thing from his father. Who wouldn't? Things such as these rarely happened.

Her eyes flicked towards Alvar apologetically, but his expression calmed her- she knew the Assassin did not mind this, he wouldn't hold it against her.

Finally, she took the letter from Alvar's hand. She was hesitant, but she knew she had to do this.

Alvar gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you need me, you know where to find me," he muttered, knowing that this was something she had to face alone... at first.

Vitoria glanced up, placing her hand on his and giving him a weak smile. "Thank you, Alvar."

He simply gave her a nod and then made his way out of the kitchen to give her some privacy.

The young woman watched him go and finally let out a big, heavy sigh before saying: "Alright, let's get this over with." She opened the letter and noticed her hands were shaking, so she placed her arms and hands back on the table, trying to stop them from doing so. She pulled out a piece of paper from the envelope and scanned it. It was a long letter. The elegant writing was definitely performed by her father's hand and at the bottom he had written his signature, ensuring that it was him who had written this.

The letter said:

_Dear Vitoria,_

_I shall start this letter with an apology, for if you read this, you know a lot more about me you probably never could have imagined. So I am deeply and truly sorry for everything harmful that has crossed your path, and everything that hasn't yet. _

_I am sorry for keeping all these things from you, and all the other things you still don't know. I am aware that you are probably angry with me, and confused with the situation. I will explain a little bit, but I cannot explain all._

_Vitoria, the reason that I am writing this in the first place is because I am aware that I am being targeted. I know that soon I will face one of my murderers, and I will not run from them, or hide. I simply will not cower in a corner, you know me. And I know myself. I know I have to explain a couple of things. _

_If you have ever wondered where the money came from, I can assure you it did not come from me – or my family. It was your mother's. She gave it to me before her death many years ago. A tradition I shall carry on. I know you will do good with it. But, if you ask me, I would spend it all as soon as possible. Having too much money can be dangerous, especially with the latest behaviour of the king._

_Also, when this letter is finished, I will give it to my father, Thane. He will hold onto it until you know the things you know now._

_I really want to give you a full explanation, but I can't. I cannot bear to see your world shatter before my eyes. I cannot be the man who causes all your pain, even though I am that man. It's a painful realization I have to accept. I am a selfish coward, I know that. I cannot say it to you in person, I also cannot write it on a piece of paper, it is far too dangerous for that. You should seek out the brothers Artino, two priests located in the northern part of Athens. They can and will help you with all your questions, they are the only ones who know these secrets. Their church is easily spotted, you know it when you see it. _

_I hope you are doing well, and I hope you can forgive me someday for everything. My brother is looking after you. He is a good man. I trusted him with my life, and I trust him with yours. _

_I love you very much, _

_Nicon Terian_

Somewhere in the middle of reading through the letter, she had started crying silently. Vitoria blinked a couple of tears away, looking up at the ceiling as she did so. Her father had planned this all along. He gave her the mansion, so that she would meet her uncle and Adonai would look after her. Adonai and Thane were just doing what her father asked of them, giving the information she was allowed to hear. It was odd that they did not know all the secrets – these Artino brothers did, apparently. She never heard of them.

She shifted in her seat, putting the letter back into the envelope and held it in her hand. He did tell her that the money came from her mother's family, which confused her even more. But the real thing that bothered her the most was the fact that he knew he was going to die. He knew it, he probably even knew the names of the men who did it.

Vitoria sighed deeply. Tomorrow she would seek out these Artino brothers and find out what was going on.


	25. The Beginning of the End

**Hey guyz!**

**My apologies for this extremely late chapter, but I had finals. Next Friday I'll be completely done with finals and try to upload faster. **

**MrJaffaJack: Shit is definitely setting in motion. It's gonna get crazy. And sad. **

**IcedFireFrenzy: Yeah, I really love writing this story, so I'm a bit sad too. Actually I don't want to write the ending. Cx And, well, we shall see what and who the Artino brothers are. ^^**

**So, without further ado, have a good day and enjoy.**

* * *

The outlines of the houses were becoming clearer as the first glimpses of light appeared above the horizon. It was colder than usual. The still-dark sky didn't promise a sunny day. The leaves had already started falling from the trees – colder days were upon them.

Vitoria had been leaning on the guardrail of her balcony, quietly watching the city. The city was still asleep, which was perfect. She had a long walk ahead of her. It would take her a while (especially with her pace) to get to the church her father had mentioned. _You know it when you see it. _It amused her that her father still hadn't known things obvious to him weren't obvious to her. So it probably would take a while to locate the church.

She stretched her back and stepped off the balcony. She had already eaten something, so there was nothing that could stop her from going outside. Her eyes glanced over towards her bed, were she put her black cloak. She quickly pulled on the cloak, making sure the strings were bound.

As she silently exited her bedchamber, closing the door behind her, her attention was drawn to the door next to Sophia's. Elene's bedchamber. The door opened and out of it stepped a man – an Assassin.

Vitoria was glad she wasn't holding anything, for if she had it would have dropped on the ground.

It was Lazar, who stepped out of Elene's bedchamber. He didn't notice Vitoria, for he had only eye for Elene (she walked behind him). She was holding onto the Assassin's arm, and Lazar was... smiling? Vitoria wasn't sure whether he was smiling or not. The two of them hadn't noticed her, maybe she had a chance to avoid the awkward moment that was near. If she just could...

Elene and Lazar turned around, facing her, both of them fell silent. Smiles disappeared, Elene retreated her arm. _Awkward_.

Vitoria watched as Elene whispered something in Lazar's ear and he gave her a stern nod, walking towards her – and then past her. She heard the sound of him descending the stairs echoing through the hallway. He never gave her one glance – which was entirely normal for him.

Elene smiled sheepishly as she quietly walked over to where Vitoria was standing. She had never seen the woman embarrassed. Vitoria blinked.

"Please, please do not say anything to my brother. He _will_ kill him," she pleaded, her expression much more expressive than Vitoria had ever seen. Elene was the woman who didn't take anything from anyone. And now she was begging.

"You always tease him about it..."

"Yes, yes, I know. But he doesn't believe that. If someone actually _saw_ us..." Elene shook her head.

Vitoria sighed. She didn't want to have anything to do with this, she knew better than to interfere with family problems. "I haven't seen anything. Anyway, I must go. I'll see you later." Vitoria was already walking down the stairs before Elene could reply. She quickly exited the mansion and made her way down the slightly winding path, heading north.

It took her long enough to get to the northern parts of Athens. When the houses didn't look as crammed as they did in the centre of Athens, she decided to look for this nameless church she had to find. She really hoped these Artino brothers could help her with the secrecy of her father. She had taken the letter with her, just in case.

The sun had moved himself behind thick, gray clouds, which darkened the day – leaving Athens in a grim and dreary state. As she ventured further away from the centre of Athens, she noticed the houses became shabbier – the people became poorer. The only thing she missed were the beggars. However, she knew any man or woman with common sense would not beg on the street anymore, not if they wished to live.

Vitoria had come across a couple of churches, none of them really stood out. Then, her eyes caught a tower that rose towards the clouds. She walked towards this tower, until she was standing on a square where the church was built on. The church was small, the houses and the shops surrounding it were small as well. From what she saw, Vitoria could tell the church was beautiful, with a lot of decorations. The first thing she noticed was the incredibly large, stained glass window at the front side. It must have cost a fortune.

Vitoria quietly approached the large set of doors, her gaze travelled for only a moment over the square. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Men and women were just minding their own business, buying and selling products in the shops. Some were walking and disappeared behind houses.

She gave them a final glance before opening one of the heavy doors and stepped inside. The interior of the church was as beautiful as she imagined – a lot gold, a lot of statues. The room she was standing in consisted of an altar at the far end. At both sides of the Altar there were arched doorways, leading into darkness.

At her left side, she noticed a wooden desk with burning candles placed upon it. She walked over to the other side of the room, towards the desk, and noticed someone had spilled ink over a piece of paper.

Suddenly, Vitoria got the feeling someone was watching her and when she gazed into the room, a man – a priest – was standing near one of the arched doorways, with a cloth and a new inkwell. He watched her as she took a step back from the desk, then he continued making his way towards the desk and cleaned up the spilled ink.

Vitoria quietly watched the man. He was a small old man and he didn't have a lot of grey hair left on his head. His eyes were extremely expressive – she could tell from where she was standing.

She cleared her throat, when she noticed he was almost done with cleaning his desk. "Excuse me, I was told to look for the Artino brothers. Do you know where I can find them?" She was hesitant in her manner of speaking. Her blue eyes gave the man a friendly look, as he slowly folded the cloth and placed it neatly on his desk. He looked up, his expression sorrowful. Then, he pointed at himself.

Vitoria was confused at first. "You... are one of the... Artino brothers?" she slowly concluded. Why did this man held his tongue?

He gave her a warm smile and nodded his head. He quickly flicked his gaze towards his desk and went through a couple of papers. He was trying to find something, obviously.

When he finally found the paper he was looking for, he gave it to her.

Again, she was hesitant, but he gave her an encouraging glance and she took the paper from his hands. He motioned she should read whatever was on this paper out loud.

"'_I cannot speak_'," she read out loud. He probably got a lot of questions about his silence, so he had decided to write everything down. She continued: "'_My name is Maro. How may I help you today?_'"

Vitoria gave the paper back to Maro. He was still smiling friendly, awaiting her response.

"I was told you had a brother," she said softly, but with a friendly voice.

Maro lowered his gaze for a moment. She caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes.

"Oh," Vitoria murmured, realization seeping through her. "I am extremely sorry..." Her father probably had written the letter when both of the brothers still lived; he would not fail to mention something like that.

Maro waved her apology off with a smile, his eyes regaining a warm spark. He gestured something to her, whereupon she frowned, failing to make anything out of his body language. Finally, Maro showed her a sentence on the same paper, which read: _Who are you?_

Embarrassed for not introducing herself earlier, Vitoria apologized again and sheepishly said her name. "Vitoria. I came here because my father told me to in a letter he left me. His name was Nicon Terian."

Maro's eyes widened in recognition and for a moment he just stared at her, regarding her with a mixed expression.

"He told me you could help me with certain answers," she added slowly as she regarded the priest.

Maro glanced around the empty church, blinked and finally nodded. Immediately, he moved behind his desk and wrote three letters on one of the blank papers. He showed the paper to her.

He had written the word _KEY _on the paper. She frowned.

"Key?" The young woman cocked her head, giving the priest a puzzled look while he was gesturing as his life was depending on it. He pointed at the word, then at her and finally at one of the walls in his church. He repeated this three times, but when she still had no clue what he was on about, he started writing again. This time he seemed to write a whole story.

Maro was almost done when suddenly the quiet of the church was disturbed by the sound of a set of doors opening. Frantically, he looked up and upon seeing the men who entered, he deliberately spilled ink on the whole paper, making sure no word could be recognized ever again.

Vitoria heard the noise too and turned around only to see that a total of eight men had entered the church. Seven of them wore plate-armour with swords attached to their belts. She recognized the cross on their chests anywhere – Templars.

Two Templar soldiers walked past her, moved towards poor Maro, grabbed him and forced him from his desk to his knees. The old man didn't struggle.

Vitoria protested. "What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled indignantly towards the men. She took one step closer towards Maro and the two Templars, and immediately she was grabbed by a Templar so that she was unable to move from her spot.

She could feel her heart beating faster, her anger blossoming in her stomach and a hot rush of emotion welled up inside her. "Let me go." This time, the edge in her tone turned razor sharp.

"Vitoria?" The familiar voice of Evando Kellis echoed through the church. He stepped before her, regarding her with a mixture of amazement and interest. He was the only one who wasn't wearing any kind of armour or any kind of weapon. "What are you doing here?"

She tried to shake herself free, but she only succeeded after Evando Kellis gave the Templar guard who was holding her a nod. Vitoria glared at him as she walked a couple of steps away from the man and then gazed upon Maro, who was still on his knees. "What does one do in a church?"

He studied her. "I didn't know you were religious. Besides, there are a lot of churches closer to your home than this one."

She turned her head to him, glaring directly at him. "I prefer this one," she spat. There was no way she was going to tell the truth to Evando.

Evando shrugged and nodded to his men, whereupon his men started to search the church. She had no idea what they were looking for, but they seemed pretty motivated. Her eyes drifted back towards Maro, giving him a sympathetic look.

One of the Templar soldiers stood before Maro, speaking with a thick accent. Unfortunately, she couldn't understand a word he was saying.

"He cannot speak," she told the soldier, who turned his head towards her.

"Oh, but we'll fix that," he said ominously.

Vitoria turned to Evando, but his expressionless face told her nothing.

"There's nothing here, sir," one of the soldiers told Evando. They had searched the church as fast and as thoroughly as possible.

Evando gazed down upon Maro. "We'll see about that. Take him away."

Two guard grabbed the priest and forced him onto his feet, pulling the man with them as they made their way to the set of doors.

Vitoria could not believe what was happening. She turned towards Evando. "That man did nothing wrong, how dare you take his freedom, and on whose authority?!"

Evando cocked his head. "On the king's. Now if you'll excuse me, Vitoria..." His words were interrupted by a pounding-noise, making everyone stop and listen. For a moment it was completely quiet in the church – except for the noise, then suddenly, large rocks and bricks broke through the stained-glass window above them.

Vitoria collapsed, her arms protective wrapped around her head as rocks, bricks and glass came crashing down on her. She heard yelling coming from outside the church. What was going on?

She was pulled out of her position by Evando, who was yelling orders at his men. She only progressed the last order he gave to his men.

"Dax! Get _him_ out of here!"

"What is happening?" Vitoria asked dazed.

Evando helped her to her feet, while answering. "I believe this is the Resistance's doing."

Vitoria frowned. The Resistance? Did she miss a meeting? Why hadn't anyone told her it would start? As the person who financed the whole thing, she had the right to know things such as these. She should address this matter when she got back.

"We should get going," Evando said hurriedly and reached for her hand.

"What? No!" She yanked her hand away before he could grab her. Behind her, another brick went through the window. She noticed more windows were being shattered. Her eyes flicked back at Evando. "I am not going anywhere with you." The Templars had already disappeared. Evando and Vitoria were the only ones left in the church.

He studied her for a moment and finally sighed. "Fine." As soon as he said it, the set of doors opened and a great deal of people, men and women, rushed in. Some people were holding swords, others were holding pitchforks – even brooms. Most of the people hurried along, ransacking the church – they did this because the church had a lot of money and didn't do anything useful with it.

Evando held up his hands, to show these 'radicals' he was unarmed – thus no threat. He was still watching her. _What game was he playing_?

Vitoria was pushed against the wall by a man who tied her hands together with rope. They did the same to Evando. Both of them were escorted outside.

Vitoria was almost completely sure that it wouldn't be smart to tell them she financed the Resistance and thus was on their side. They would consider it a lie, for they found her in a church in the presence of a well-dressed, suspected aristocrat. It really wouldn't do any good if she decided to talk.

It had started to rain. Fortunately, it wasn't pouring, but it was still cold. Evando and Vitoria were forced onto their knees in the mud, in front of the church. Men and women were still throwing rocks and bricks at the church, they were angry, yelling all sorts of comments. However, not everyone was actively breaking down the church. There were a lot of people just watching it all happen, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Vitoria noticed a City Watch guard (or what was left of him) lying on the ground in a puddle of his own blood. She averted her eyes, staring at the mud. Even though some of the City Watch's men were extreme jerks, they didn't deserve death. Besides, not all the men in the City Watch were bad. Some were just doing their jobs.

"So, what will we do with ya', eh?" A man asked as he was pacing before them. He was holding a sword in his hand – but the way he held it, gave away he wasn't familiar with the weapon. He probably never even held one until now. Vitoria realized she had learned a thing or two from watching the Assassins fight in the training ring.

The man was still pacing before them, but now more radicals were watching them, even shouting to him what he was able to with them, such as killing them. He turned his back to them and listened to the shouts. But even now, running was no use. They were completely surrounded by angry men and women with weapons, even though not all of them were paying attention to them.

"They aren't really fond of us," Evando stated as he watched the crowds. "If only you hadn't been so stubborn, we wouldn't be in this mess. Are you happy?" His words weren't accusing at all, they were comically. He wasn't worried one bit. Did he have a backup plan?

The man had heard enough and faced them again. "With whom will we start?" His gaze flicked between her and Evando. Then he raised his sword towards her. She could feel the cold blade pushing against her chin. She slowly looked up at the man, who was studying her. It was obvious what was crossing his mind. She felt the raindrops fall onto her face as she continued watching him.

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she noticed the crowd of people split apart, and some stopped yelling. She couldn't see what was happening, but she _could_ see the expression of the man in front of her change to fear. The man in front of her was legitimately scared, almost to the point of wetting himself. Because of this, he was frozen – and the sword was still pointing at her, unfortunately.

Vitoria watched as the crowds all stepped back, watching wide-eyed what was happening. What _was_ happening?

Finally, the man – it had been a man who struck such fear in the hearts of the citizens – moved closer. He was dressed in a dark blue, almost black robe. His face hid behind a hood. And he was casually walking towards the man standing in front of her; the man who was still unable to move a muscle.

The hooded man stopped as soon as he was standing next to the man pointing the sword. He put his gloved hand on the arm of the man, slowly lowering it, so that Vitoria could breathe normally again.

"She's with us, mate," Leon said loud enough for the crowd behind him to hear.

The man blinked, slowly nodding his head – he was a little in shock. As were all the men and women standing around. Apparently, they weren't used to the collaboration with the Assassins.

"Good man," Leon said, she could hear the smile as he said it. He gave the man an awkward pat on the shoulder and then rushed over to her. He quickly cut the ropes with his hidden blade and offered his hand to help her stand, which she took.

"Thank you," she murmured. She was about to straighten her clothes, but didn't get the time to do it, for Leon took her a couple of steps away from Evando.

"Where the hell have you been?" Then he eyed to Evando from under his hood. "And what the hell are you doing with him?"

Vitoria frowned at the Assassin before her. "I was visiting this church, and _he _interrupted it. He marched in with soldiers, searched the place, found nothing and took the priest, Maro. I am fairly certain that they will harm him to get what they want."

Leon studied her. "Do you know what they were after?"

Vitoria shook her head remorsefully. "Not a clue."

He nodded his head in understanding. "Doesn't matter. What matters is that you are here, and I found you. You should get back to the mansion."

"What are _you_ doing here, and where's Alvar?" she asked.

Leon gave the crowds a brief glance; most of the people had returned to whatever they were doing before Leon disturbed it all with his presence. "We were split-up by Adonai and Thane so that every Assassin looked after a part of Athens. I got this part. Alvar got the centre, he's on the Great Plaza. That is the last place you want to be right now, Vitoria," he told her seriously.

Vitoria nodded her head in understanding. "Alright, I'll go home. Thank you again for saving me from an ironic death." Being killed by the Resistance which one financed, was pretty ironic.

Leon grinned. "Any time. Be safe, Vitoria."

She watched as he disappeared in the church. Her eyes flicked towards Evando, who was still on his knees in the mud. He watched her, but she was too far away to read his expression. The man who had been frozen a couple of moments ago, had regained his posture and stepped between Evando and Vitoria, so that Evando wasn't able to pay attention to anything but him.

Vitoria turned, and walked away. As she had left the square, she could hear screams and shouts filled with agony and pain coming from the same square. There was no doubt that that was Evando's backup plan.

She quickened her pace, passing a lot of angry citizens. She saw the men of the City Watch fight, but there weren't any Templar guards – or she just hadn't come across one yet. Not all streets were full of people, most of them were completely empty. Some only contained slain bodies of both sides.

Vitoria quickly moved away from it all. The rain had stopped, but most of the men and women, including her, were already soaked to the bone.

After a long, disturbing walk through the city, she was near the Great Plaza, where the biggest crowd was located. In the streets behind the Plaza a few citizens were walking. They either where trying to get away from the Plaza, or walked towards it.

Leon had been right: The Great Plaza was the last place one wanted to be. Vitoria was walking far behind the crowds, but the glimpses of the scene that played at the front of the crowd was horrible. The City Watch was stationed before the gallows as a couple of statues. If someone got too close, they ended motionless on the ground. It was to scare the people away, but the City Watch was making it worse. They were protecting the Court of Justice and the Vasco Bank.

Vitoria's eyes flicked towards the rooftops, searching them for Assassins. There were none. They were probably watching from the crowds. She decided to leave the Great Plaza. The streets she passed to get to her home were all empty, so she didn't find any trouble on the way.

She quickly walked over the winding path towards the mansion, unlocked the door (almost dropping the keys in the process) and went inside. The mansion was completely empty, except for the kitchen where candles were burning, which were the only light source in the mansion at the moment.

Sophia stuck her head through the doorway, and let out a relief sigh upon seeing her friend.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, walking with difficulty towards her. Her ankle wasn't fully healed yet, but that didn't stop her from hugging her friend. She pulled Vitoria with her back to the kitchen, where Elene and Renoz were sitting.

"Where have you been?" Elene asked, watching Vitoria as she pulled out her wet mantle.

"I had to check something, but it doesn't matter now. Anyway, I'm going to change my clothes for obvious reasons," Vitoria mumbled.

Sophia snorted. "You should. You are reeking of dead mouse, girl."

Vitoria rolled her eyes, smiling, and left the kitchen.


	26. Casualties

**Hey guys!**

**A new, fresh chapter waiting for you. Hurray!**

**MrJaffaJack: The Red Wedding. *crawls under rock and cries for years***

**IcedFireFrenzy: You had finals too, huh? Sucks. How did they go? My finals didn't go well, actually. Pretty bad, actually. Thursday I get the results. I hope yours went better. x]**

**So with nothing further to say, have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

"There are things we don't want to happen, but have to accept; things we don't want to know, but have to learn, and people we can't live without, but have to let go."

* * *

The amount of hand gestures Maro had been performing the previous day before Vitoria was nothing compared to Ion while telling an exciting story. The words were flowing from his mouth and in to the hallway. He slowly raised his voice in order to build tension and when he was about to spill the climax, he abruptly stood from his chair. His chair fell backwards, clattering on the kitchen floor, while he was imitating (with lack for a better word) a bear-hug. Vitoria, Sophia and Elene, who had been listening intently to the story, were startled by his sudden movement, but continued listening. Ion almost hit both Leon and Dryas in the face with the back of his hands, while emphasizing every word.

"The woman charged at me and I was out of options. I had no weapons on me and no potential weapons near my person. I tried to talk her out of it. But, alas, she would not listen and kept running. She was nearing me, and I was becoming quite desperate for a way out. When she was about to crash into me, I jumped towards a wall and, miraculously, found a way to grab the window ledge. The woman, however, hadn't foreseen my action, so she ran in to the wall behind me." Ion mimicked the woman running in to the wall, which gained him a couple of snickers. He laughed along with his friends as his story had ended.

"I believe my memory is failing," Alvar said with crossed arms. He had just arrived in the doorway, leaning against it, while eyeing his friend cunningly.

"What?"

"I thought you reached for the window ledge, but never actually grabbed it. This resulted in a painful and awkward encounter with your foe, who crashed in to you and then both of you crashed in to the wall," Alvar had an amusing expression in his dark eyes as he waited for his friends' reply.

"Well, maybe I wasn't talking about _that_ particularly encounter," he murmured, his pride a little bruised as he was reminded of that day.

"What happened next?" Dryas asked curiously. All eyes turned to Alvar.

"Ion and the woman struggled for a while. Eventually, I had to interfere, because otherwise he would not be sitting here." Alvar made his way into the kitchen and took a seat next to Vitoria.

Dryas laughed at the ridiculous thought. "You would have been killed by a woman with no training whatsoever?"

Ion picked up his chair from the ground and sat back down on it while saying: "In my defence, she was pretty heavy _and_ scary. She could have been a butcher for all I know and therefore have sufficient knowledge of handling knives," he protested weakly, his eyes rolling as he heard his friends laughing.

Elene managed to save him, however. "You know, my brother used to encourage me to _become_ a butcher." Her eyes shifted to her brother, then back to Ion, who was grateful for the change of subject.

Leon caught on quick, and humorously told them: "Dryas probably liked the idea of free meat."

The group laughed heartedly, while Dryas countered: "Who wouldn't?!"

For a moment a comfortable silence fell between them and Vitoria shifted her gaze to Alvar, patting him on the leg, smiling. The mansion was empty. Every Assassin was patrolling on the streets, making sure everything went according to plan. Alvar, Ion, Leon and Dryas were just in the mansion for a brief moment to rest, eat and drink.

"Vitoria, we're all still waiting for a proper explanation regarding yesterday," Sophia said clearly. Vitoria managed to dodge the bullet the previous day, but now she had to explain herself – which she totally understood. She could practically feel the eyes of her friends on her as she cleared her throat. She gave all of them a glance and ended with Alvar.

"Well, the bottom line is that my father left a letter for me and he told me to seek out the Artino brothers. So I did, but one of the brothers had apparently passed away and the other, well, couldn't speak... Also, Templars invaded the whole building, searched for something and captured Maro Artino. So, you could say that it wasn't the most _pleasant_ trip I have ever experienced."

Leon chuckled knowingly, his eyes sparkled as he did so.

"You know, it is said to believe that the Artino brothers cut out their own tongues," Dryas told them.

Elene nodded her head. "I heard they were told a secret and cut out their tongues to prevent them from telling it accidentally."

"Well, I heard they were guarding something ancient and to prevent them from giving up the location, they cut out their tongues," Sophia added.

Vitoria was a little surprised that they knew the Artino brothers just by mentioning the surname, and she wondered why she didn't know them. Then again, Elene and Sophia worked in a brothel, so it was probably mentioned there and Dryas probably picked it up somewhere on the streets.

After another brief moment of silence, Ion said: "Well, anyway, I have to go. Adonai has assigned me a mission to assassinate that rat, Filipe Barbas. And guess who is coming along..." Ion didn't wait for them to reply, "Lazar!" He gave his friends a quasi-happy thumbs-up as he rose from his chair with an annoyed expression written across his face.

Vitoria felt Elene next to her tense at the sound of his name, but no one seemed to notice it.

"Anyway, I should get going," Ion mumbled, giving them all a wave before exiting the kitchen. Sophia jumped up from where she was sitting and hurried after him. Vitoria was positive that Ion and Sophia were a thing. She could see it in her friend's eyes.

Elene and Dryas soon followed behind Sophia, and now only three remained in the kitchen: Alvar, Leon and Vitoria. Leon was looking at the two sitting across from him with mild interest. And after a while, he finally said:

"You know, as soon as you left the church, your ex-companion managed to escape. And I can tell you, he did _not_ look happy."

Vitoria rolled her eyes. "I reckoned he would escape," and then added more seriously: "I believe he finally understands the situation."

Leon nodded his head in agreement. "I thought so, too. We cannot afford to be reckless or sloppy from now on. It's going to be tough."

Vitoria nodded, although she wasn't sure what he was talking about. She turned her head to Alvar, because he tapped her on the leg.

"So the priest didn't provide you with any kind of information?" Alvar's dark eyes were looking directly in hers.

Vitoria shook her head and then remembered something. "Well, he made some odd gestures. Also, he wrote a word on a piece of paper, pointed to me and then towards the wall next to him."

"What word?" Leon immediately asked.

She gave the two a glance. "_'__Key'_," she told them, eyeing them quizzically.

"Perhaps he was telling you that he has a key of some sorts in his church," Leon offered, after a couple of moments.

Vitoria frowned. "What kind of key?"

Leon shrugged, but shot Alvar a look Vitoria couldn't read. "I don't know. Maybe something important, but when I searched the church I found nothing out of the ordinary."

She sighed wearily. Such a shame Maro couldn't tell her what he had written on that piece of paper. And very annoying that Evando entered the church at exactly the right time, so that Maro hadn't _enough_ time.

"I hope Maro is okay," she finally told them, showing concern.

* * *

Maro was staring at nothing in particular as he tried to ignore the pain he was feeling. He had been sitting in a chair at a table. The only things placed on the table had been a piece of paper and a pencil. The men who took him, the Templars, had asked him to write down everything he knew about the object they were after. He refused. They tried to play nice, but the act didn't suit them well. Maro was familiar with the Assassin-Templar war. But he didn't want to play a part in it. It got his brother killed, and he didn't want to end up like him. Unfortunately, he would.

When the Templars finally showed him their true colors, he still refused to write something down. They broke every finger in his left hand, his ribs, his leg. They hit him in the face, which resulted in a constant headache and a black eye, which couldn't open itself anymore. Somewhere in between the hits, his chair had fallen down and he, too, had fallen onto the ground. He was still there, staring at nothing in particular.

"I am growing very impatient," Evando told his soldier and friend, Dax. They were standing at the front of the dark building Evando had chosen. The building was standing in a neighbourhood where screams weren't uncommon. Especially in times like these. How wonderful their prisoner couldn't scream.

"You've got to hand it to him, he's a tough one," Dax told his boss with admiration.

Evando looked at the pathetic heap on the ground that was supposed to be Maro Artino. "Yeah, well, being _tough_ either gets _you_ killed, or someone else nowadays. And we don't want him to die just yet, so..." He directed his gaze towards Dax. "Have you found the girl?"

Dax' eyes darkened. He wasn't fond of the direction this conversation was going, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Bring her in," Evando told him. He caught the look Dax was giving him and sighed. "We're not here to kill the girl. We're here because we need information from him. The girl is just simply... leverage."

Dax still eyed him with suspicion. "What if he still doesn't talk with her around?"

Evando gave him a small smile. "Oh, he _will_ talk. Come on, bring her in."

Dax gave his boss a nod and disappeared through the door of the dark room they were in, while Evando directed his gaze back on Maro. He waited a moment, carefully choosing his words, and then walked towards the priest, who wasn't progressing any of this.

"Break is over," Evando told him. He put the chair back on four legs and threw Maro on it, while carefully studying him. "It is truly a shame your brother died."

Maro's pupils reacted, his head slowly moving upwards.

Evando smirked from the inside, he was pleased with the reaction he got. Maro was still with him. He continued: "He was a good friend of mine."

There were a lot of words Maro wanted to say to this man, scream to this man.

"Don't look at me like that. We weren't the ones who _assassinated_ him," he hissed the words like a snake. "But anyway, he was a true asset to the Templars. I miss the quiet when I was around him." He gave the priest a sympathetic look, and cleared his throat. "This is your last chance," he told him, nodding at the pencil and paper on the table.

The priest glared at him. Then at the table. Suddenly, he slowly moved over to the table. Pain was showing on his face as he did so.

Evando narrowed his eyes as he watched the priest write something on the paper. Was the priest finally giving in? Was he finally ready to cooperate?

Maro tiredly pushed the letter his way, indicating that he was done writing. Evando studied the man, who was leaning on the table, while he grabbed the piece of paper. When he read it, he could only let out a short, humourless laugh.

_Burn in hell, _Maro wrote.

"A poor choice," Evando concluded. He heard the creaking of doors behind him as he put the paper back on the table. "You may want to rethink your choice." The Templar stepped out of the way, so that Maro was able to see who Dax brought in.

The girl, who couldn't be older than thirteen years, was standing in the middle of the room – frightened.

"I believe this is your niece. She has her father's eyes, don't you think?" If looks could kill, Evando was already butchered in tiny pieces – Evando was aware of this. And this kind of reaction was exactly what he was after.

"Are you finally ready to cooperate?"

Maro was too bewildered to react in time. He was completely thrown off-guard, not knowing what to do. He would have given his own life; he would have taken the secret to his grave. But now the daughter of his brother was involved...

"Dax..." Evando told his soldier, who immediately pulled out a knife and placed it against the throat of the girl. She gasped, tears already falling from her eyes.

"I respect that you are capable of cutting out your own tongue for your secrets. I admire that you are willing to die for your secrets. But are you able to sacrifice another for your secrets?" He heard Maro sigh, and he could swear he smelled defeat. Finally, Maro nodded his head and started writing.

"No harm will come to the girl," Evando assured as he waved both Dax and Maro's niece out.

Maro didn't take long to write, which surprised Evando. When he finally got his hands on the piece of paper, he frowned. He expected some sort of key – some sort of powerful... something, hidden somewhere clever.

"A book..." Evando's eyes shot up to Maro, looking for lies.

Maro slowly nodded his head in pain. He wasn't lying. He was telling the truth, Evando could tell.

"A book it is, then," he murmured thoughtfully to himself, then he turned around. "Filipe!" His voice echoed in the dark room, startling the heap that was sitting on the chair behind him.

The pathetic excuse for a man opened the door and remained standing in the doorway. His expression showed that he was not happy to be working for Evando. But he hadn't a choice in the matter.

"Stay here with the guards. I am sure you'll have some company soon enough. Be ready. Be sure to surprise. And do _not_ mess this up." Evando looked the tiny man in his eyes, wondering if it was right to trust Filipe. It didn't matter – it weren't his orders. He hoped the Grandmaster knew what he was doing.

"What about him?" Filipe's eyes shot to Maro, who was currently bleeding out on the table.

Evando shrugged. "Let him be. He shall be with his brother soon enough."

Filipe nodded and made way for Evando as he was exiting the room, and then, exiting the building.

* * *

"Are you sure _this_ is the place?" Ion glowered from under his hood towards Lazar. There were a couple of things he had learned in his life, and one of them was to never trust Lazar. Ever. He was a sly creature. He had deceived him and his friends a couple of times. He wasn't particularly likeable either. When it came to the Assassin Order, however, Lazar was good. He had been stationed in different regions in Greece, and fought with an undying fire.

"Yes, I am sure," he told his co-Assassin with annoyance in his tone.

"There is no one here," Ion pressed with narrowed eyes.

Lazar rolled his eyes, even though Ion couldn't see the movement because of his hood. "I can see that. Now, shall we go investigate or do you need another moment, Lady Patron?" Lazar mocked as he started to walk towards the entrance of the building. Ion followed.

As they quietly neared the entrance, Ion felt as if something was wrong with the current situation they were in. Lazar confirmed his suspicions.

"The door is open."

Lazar slowly pushed the door open, and the faint light of the sun barely lit up the interior of the building. It was not a house, it was more like a warehouse with a couple of rooms. However, it was a lot smaller than an actual warehouse, and it didn't seem like something was stored in here. It was a dark, empty building that could easily be overlooked. The pair moved forward, eyes searching for something – a clue that could lead to the location of Filipe Barbas. As they moved into different rooms, it was Lazar who called out to Ion.

"He's dead," Lazar said as he had looked for a pulse. The man was sitting on a chair, his head, arms and shoulders resting on the table before him. There were bloodstains on the table _and_ on the floor.

Ion gave the poor bastard a quick look and noticed the fingers in his left hand were broken. His right hand seemed fine, except for the ink on it. "I believe this was Maro Artino. And I think he gave the Templars what they were after."

Lazar opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by loud, and heavy, noises. Before the Assassins knew what was happening, they were surrounded by countless of Templar guards.

Coming to this building had been a trap. Ion should have known better.

Filipe, their target, stepped forward with a smirk on his lips. The man only did this because _they_ were outnumbered. If it had been any other situation where the Assassins had the upper hand, he would have been standing in a puddle of his own making. He eyed the pair triumphantly as he said slyly:

"Well, this is awkward."

* * *

Vitoria had been making dinner for Renoz, Elene and Sophia. They even had taken a bite from their food. Alvar, Leon and Dryas were about to head outside again, when the front door swung open and Lazar stumbled through the door.

"Hey," he panted to the three men who were almost at the end of the hallway. The two Assassins were covered in blood (Ion was even _dripping_ blood on the floor). His arm was wrapped around Lazar's shoulders. Lazar seemed to have supported him all the way back to the mansion.

"What happened?" Leon asked as the three men ran back through the hallway.

Alvar immediately shot towards the other side of Ion, wrapping an arm around him and helping him up. "To the kitchen," he ordered without hesitation.

Vitoria had seen them coming and was already cleaning the table, so that Ion could lie down on it. Renoz had grabbed the plates and returned them to the kitchen counter, while Sophia made room for the wounded men.

"We walked into a trap," Lazar said as he heaved Ion on the table, and collapsed afterwards in Elene's arms because of the effort it took. She helped him towards a chair in the corner and examined his body for lethal wounds.

"Explain," Dryas demanded, while scowling at him. Alvar was standing beside Ion, his hands pressing on the stab wound in his abdomen. Leon was searching the kitchen for cloths and other potential bandages. Vitoria helped him.

"I overheard two guards talking about Filipe and his location. But it was a setup. The Templars played us. We went to the location, found a body. Ion told me it was Maro Artino. Then we got surrounded by Templars. It had been a trap. Filipe Barbas gave the order. We barely escaped," Lazar explained between breaths. "Ion got stabbed by one of them."

Ion wasn't looking good. He had lost a lot of blood, his eyes were closed, his breathing was slowing down, his heart was beating weakly and he was extremely pale. Alvar was worried: He had seen men die with fewer wounds. His hands were still firmly pressing onto the wound, they were now covered in his blood.

Vitoria watched as Leon walked over with everything they found in the kitchen. As Leon gave the first cloth to Alvar to help stop the bleeding, it was Ion who opened his eyes.

"Leave it. I am beyond saving..." his words were spoken low and slowly.

Realization dawned upon everyone in the room; his words hit like knives. Vitoria couldn't but stare in horror what was happening before her.

"Ion," Alvar warned him. He refused to listen to his dying friend as he placed the cloth on his wound and pressed his hands on it. Meanwhile, Leon and Sophia had swapped places. She was already in tears, while staring at his face.

"It's alright," Ion told Sophia quietly, then his eyes shifted towards Alvar. With all the strength he could gather, he offered weakly his hand to his friend, his eyes begging – as if he was asking for permission. It was truly a painful thing to watch.

Alvar stopped with what he was doing, looking at Ion. He didn't want to stop. He wanted to help his friend, but if said friend begged for you to stop - to accept his fate...

Finally, Alvar stopped pressing on the wound and took his hand with both of his hands. "You do what you have to do, my friend."

Ion's eyes closed, a small smile creeping onto his lips and his breathing stopped.

Then the room went silent.


	27. The Key

**Hey guys!**

**This is the wtf-asdfghjkl-?-! chapter, so brace yourselves. **

**calwitch: Yeah D=, Ion was such a good guy. Freaking Templ'rs. **

**IcedFireFrenzy: Y'know, my results did end pretty well. I somehow passed, I hope you do too. :] Also, RIP Ion. **

**I don't want to say more, so have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

Silence. It was all that one could hear and feel. Thick, heavy, nerve-racking silence. It hung in the air like the suspended moment before a falling glass shatters on the ground. Silence was poisonous – it had seeped in every pore of everyone in the kitchen.

Silence was pressing on Vitoria's chest, making it hard to breathe. Her eyes were resting on Ion's face. She was waiting for him to get up and make some sort of sarcastic comment on their grim faces. But he didn't. Her eyes shifted towards Alvar, who was standing with his back to her. He was leaning on his hands, which were placed on the table Ion was lying on. He had hung his head in sorrow. There was no doubt in Vitoria's mind that his eyes were not closed, but from where she was standing, she could only guess.

Lazar was still sitting in a chair in the corner, one of his hands pressed to his ribs, and his eyes staring at the floor. Elene was standing beside him, the horror still showing on her face.

It wasn't just pain that her friends were visibly showing after this loss. It was defeat. Ion hadn't deserved any of this. The sad truth was that Ion wasn't the first victim of this revolution, and he wouldn't be the last. Her eyes lowered to the floor.

"You." Dryas was the first who spoke up. He had growled the word towards Lazar, his eyes blazing with hatred as he glared to him. His fists were clenched, his body completely tense and his finger was pointing as he continued: "You did this."

His words were pure venom, making Vitoria's skin crawl. She had never seen Dryas this angry. It was terrifying. It was making her heart pound faster.

"Dryas..." Elene murmured with a breaking edge in her voice. She was always strong and fierce, especially when she was interacting with her brother, but now... Maybe the death of Ion had taken its toll on her, or maybe she had witnessed this anger before.

Dryas, however, seemed to have some sort of tunnel-vision. He stomped towards Lazar – it seemed as he was making the ground shake when he passed Vitoria. Dryas grabbed the wounded man by his robe, looking him directly in the eye, then hauled him off his seat.

Elene was screaming, trying to calm her brother down, but he didn't hear her. Leon immediately tried to interfere, but he received a punch in his stomach from his friend, which was a clear warning to stay out of this.

Dryas dragged Lazar to the adjoining hallway, throwing him against the wall and punched him immediately after on his face. "I'll kill you for this!" Dryas kept yelling at him, while Elene and Leon tried to get the brute off of Lazar.

Vitoria's eyes shifted towards Alvar, who had not moved an inch. She doubted if he had progressed the last couple of minutes at all.

Elene was thrown on the ground by her brother, while he threw another punch on Lazar. She was screaming, telling her brother she was in love with Lazar, but the man didn't hear her. If Dryas continued like this, he would kill Lazar, thus breaking one of the tenets. The only punishment for that was death.

"A little help, Alvar?" Leon yelled at his friend as he, alone, was unable to restrain Dryas.

Alvar didn't respond, he didn't even flinch at the mention of his name.

It were Adonai, Sam and Thane who helped Leon with Dryas. They appeared in the hallway, coming from the direction of the trainings ground.

"What is going on?!" Adonai demanded as he, Sam and Thane helped Ion with restraining Dryas. They pulled him off Lazar, forcing the brute to his knees. As soon as Dryas saw Lazar sank to his knees and into Elene's arms, his anger was replaced with shame.

"You're good?" Leon asked Dryas, kneeling before his friend.

Dryas avoided his gaze, but nodded.

Adonai shifted his gaze from Dryas to Lazar and Elene, both weren't paying attention to him. Then, he glanced into the kitchen where Vitoria was standing beside Alvar, her back was turned to him. Sophia was standing at the other side of the table, mourning over the body what could only be Ion. He lowered his gaze for a moment, processing this quietly. He wasn't a fool; he knew exactly what had happened. The mission he assigned to Lazar and Ion had failed. Ion died, Lazar received the blame, Dryas lost his temper. Adonai needed a moment to think. These men were his best pupils, and now they seemed divided.

"Filipe Barbas is still alive," Lazar interrupted his thoughts. His face was covered in cuts, bruises and blood.

Adonai gave him a nod. He confirmed his suspicions. "Alright. Leon, Dryas. Take care of Ion. Elene, get him patched up. And Alvar," Vitoria was the one who turned her head to him. "Library. Now." He was giving orders as if he hadn't cared for Ion at all, which wasn't true. But there was little time left.

Vitoria turned her head back to Alvar, placing her hand on his arm. She wanted to help him, but she didn't know how.

He sighed, giving Ion one last glance, before passing her without looking at her. He exited the kitchen, and she watched, crossing her arms with concern written across her face. She already guessed that Alvar wasn't good with dealing with loss. And she was right. She didn't blame him: Ion had been his best friend since childhood. Losing Ion was painful, especially for Alvar.

Dryas and Leon walked in with grim faces. They glanced briefly at their fallen friend, their sorrow was showing as they carefully grabbed Ion and took him (probably) outside. The silence had returned once more in the kitchen. Sophia had down, and placed herself on a chair, staring into the nothingness.

Vitoria was currently staring at the blood on the table and on the floor. A thought crossed her mind before she went to search for water: There was no way in hell that she would consume another meal in that kitchen.

* * *

When the doors of the library opened again, Elene and Lazar were gone. Sophia was cleaning the kitchen, while Vitoria was cleaning the adjoining hallway. She didn't want to see any more blood in the mansion.

She stopped with what she was doing when she noticed Adonai and Alvar talking. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear what they were talking about. Her eyes focused on Sam, who walked in the view. He gave her a wave and a smile, before exiting the mansion. Thane was the last one walking through the library doors. When he saw her, he walked over. She rose to her feet and briefly cleaned herself off.

"It's a sad day," he murmured, his eyes resting on her with sympathy.

Vitoria sighed, quickly stealing a glance from the kitchen before returning her gaze to Thane. "It is. And I am terrified it is going to be even more sad." Thane gave her a slight nod, confirming her thoughts.

"There is not much time, unfortunately. I just wanted to say that I regret all those years without visiting you and your father. But I am glad to have met you eventually."

Vitoria cocked her head a little, giving her grandfather a keen look. "You sound as if you're saying your last goodbye."

Thane's lips curled up in a little smile as his hand found its way to her upper arm. "I may have screwed up our first encounter, but I sure as hell won't screw up our last. Whether it is today or ten years from now."

Vitoria smiled. A sad smile. She wrapped her arms around him, and for a moment she simply appreciated the warmth. When he gently broke the embrace, and gave her a playful wink, she realized how fond her heart had grown of him. And as he exited the mansion, she silently prayed to every god that he would be alright.

Her empty gaze shifted from the closed door to Adonai, who remained, excluding her, the only one standing in the hallway. Alvar had already disappeared. Her uncle cleared his throat, a wall hid his emotions.

"Before I go, I must tell you something, Vitoria." He gestured towards the library, and waited patiently until she entered, then closed the doors behind them.

Vitoria swallowed as she stepped on the squeaking floorboards. Her uncle wanting to tell her something was equal to awkward moments that ended in anger and sadness. Especially when they had to move the conversation between the walls of the library. How many secrets these walls kept...

Adonai passed her slowly, his hands clasped behind his back. He stood beside his desk for a moment, looking down on it as if he wasn't pleased with it. Finally, he turned around and faced her with a deep sigh. Whatever he wanted to tell her, it was hard to voice the right words – or any word at all.

"I wanted to take it to my grave, but it burdened me greatly – as it should. I am sorry for keeping every last secret from you, but I didn't see any other choice then. Now, I have lived long enough to see it weakened me; the burden was too heavy to carry, the shame was too great to face. So, when I am done with speaking, my fate lies in your hands." His eyes looked directly in hers, and she noticed the exhaustion on his face. He seemed as if he had aged years in only months, which could be due lack of sleep. Vitoria felt her heart pounding in her chest, as the silence grew heavy. She was extremely terrified of whatever he had to say.

Adonai continued: "I have deceived, and I have sinned. I broke the tenets. And I betrayed my own blood." The last sentence was spoken softly. If her mind hadn't been switched off, she would have known what he was talking about.

"Thane told you about the woman I once loved, did he not?"

The question came out of nowhere, striking her with even more fear. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to hear what he had to say or just leave this room and avoid this conversation for good. Alarm bells went off in her head. "He just told me about _a_ woman... but I don't see the relevance of..." Adonai held up his hand, and for some reason she just stopped talking immediately. Thane told her he had been in love with a woman, who didn't love him back. That was all he told her.

Adonai started to pace the room slowly. Once in a while he would look up to her, before continuing to walk. "I was in love with Rhona, your mother. However, she was in love with my brother, which left me heartbroken, as you can imagine. But it was fine, I lived on, as they did too." He suddenly stopped walking, his face briefly showing a pain she couldn't describe.

He continued with a grave tone: "However, one evening I received message that the Templars had located Nicon's house. Your old home. Later I would find out it wasn't Nicon they were after, but your mother. Anyway, I hurried to the house, and somehow, arrived there before the Templars. When I entered..." Adonai closed his eyes for a moment. He was reliving the memory. "I saw Nicon sitting against the kitchen counter with Rhona in his arms. Both covered in blood. The knife he used to kill her with was lying next to them on the floor." His last sentence was spoken with pure anger.

Vitoria was frozen to the ground, numb even. She shook her head rapidly in denial. "My father would never kill my..." She even couldn't bring herself to say it. "My mother didn't die like that..."

Her uncle looked up, watching her with piercing eyes. "What did he tell you? She died of sickness? Murdered by Templars? An accident?"

Vitoria's mind was trying to make some sense out of this mess, she was trying to order her thoughts, but it seemed like all her memories and thoughts were screaming to each other. She placed a hand on her head, in an attempt to soothe it. "I... I don't know." She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Adonai paused for a moment. He was having as much difficulty with voicing his memories as she had with progressing them.

"Nicon told me that he had to do it, she ordered him to do it for reasons I still haven't figured out. I couldn't believe what he had done. I left the house, and never wanted to speak to him again." He approached her, and stopped when he was standing in front of her. His eyes watched her steadily.

"Something tells me you did speak again," she quietly murmured.

Adonai closed his eyes, nodding his head. "A couple of months ago, days before his death. We spoke. We fought. After all those years, the anger had remained inside me and I was furious. I don't even know what we fought about... Anyway, when I, once again, walked out on him, the anger was still boiling inside me. It was then that I made the greatest mistake of my life." It was for the first time the Mentor lowered his gaze, and didn't look her in the eye. "I contacted the Templars and told them of his whereabouts."

Vitoria stared at him, realization slowly sinking in. "Because of you they attacked and killed my father," she deadpanned. Her face had drained from every colour. Her eyes were blank.

Adonai had found his courage to look her in the eyes. "I tried to stop what I had set in motion, but I was too late. I killed the Templars after they killed my brother."

"So, letting me stay here... _allowing_ me to stay here, wasn't because I was family, it was out of shame, guilt. It was because you wanted to pay a debt that is impossible to pay."

Her uncle studied her, words failing him. "I cannot describe how sorry I am..." He finally said. It wasn't the only thing he had done wrong. He wanted to tell his suspicions to someone; his doing. "I have done more wrong, than good. I know who the Templar Grandmaster is. Years ago, I had to kill a man, for breaking one of the tenets. And I didn't do it."

Vitoria swallowed hard as she remembered the story that Alvar once told her about the death of his father. Adonai had to kill the murderer of Alvar's father – Lazar's father...

"He knows our ways... Lazar's father, Hidas is the Grandmaster."

She couldn't comprehend how he had hidden all those secrets for all those years. He was regretting it now, but if it hadn't backfired... Would he have reacted the same way?

It didn't matter whether he was sorry or not. Her father would remain in the ground. She didn't even know what she was feeling about all of this. She was conflicted inside. Her father killing her mother? Her uncle killing her father?

Suddenly it seemed as if all the air was vanished from the room, and his presence made everything worse. So she turned on her heels, and without saying anything, she exited the library in a hurry. She ran through the hallway, towards the empty trainings ground.

* * *

The streets were roaring, buildings were set on fire, people were fighting, people were screaming, bodies were laying motionless on the ground. Athens had descended into anarchy, and hopefully, it was for the last time. The City Watch was trying to maintain the peace, while Templars had completely disappeared from the streets. But Alvar knew they weren't completely gone.

He was running over the rooftops, ignoring the yells and screams that came from beneath him. He had a mission: Assassinating Evando Kellis. He had no idea where the man was, but he was going to find out. He started at the man's home. The same house where he had given a party.

The anger he was feeling inside was boiling in every vein. The death of Ion had made him hungry for Templar's blood.

When he arrived at Evando's mansion, he knew something was wrong. There were eight guards on the same floor, the rest of the mansion was empty. Evando himself wasn't present. That, however, didn't bother him. Not yet anyway.

The eight guards were guarding Evando's study room, which was extremely odd. Alvar lowered himself from the rooftop to the window of the empty study. The window wasn't open, but that didn't stop him from entering. He broke the window open with a lot of effort, trying to keep it quiet. He almost fell down twice in the process.

When he opened the window it made a squeaking noise, making him stop with what he was doing and looking directly at the door. There were two guards stationed just outside the door, the rest of the guards were scattered across the floor. No one seemed to have heard the noise.

Alvar continued very quietly as he stepped into the study room and investigated it. There was only one item that caught his intention, which was a rather large book, resting on Evando's mahogany desk. It was an extremely old book, he could tell from the dust that was still sticking to the surface of the book. As soon as he opened the book, the smell that came with it reminded him of dead bodies – another confirmation that the book was old.

The page that appeared was written in Ancient Greek, which he couldn't read. He frowned and quickly flipped through the book. The first couple of pages were filled with words he didn't understand, until the format of the pages changed. Suddenly, he could read the words, for it were names written down. The first name he read was Gaia, and as he quickly scanned through it he realized it were the names of the Greek titans and gods that were written down. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon were names that were also written down in the book.

As he continued flipping through the book, the names became unknown to him and he realized this book contained the bloodline of the gods and demigods, which – to him – seemed impossible.

For a moment, he progressed his findings and listened for movement among the Templars on the floor. When he was still good, he returned his attention to the book and skipped the pages until the pages were blank. He then searched for the last page that contained names, and he stared at the last name that was written down. It seemed as if the bloodline had ended there.

Alvar's mind was extremely fast with connecting the dots. The Cave of Zeus required a key. What if the key wasn't an object, but a person? A descendant of Zeus himself? Now he knew why Evando wasn't present in his home; he knew it too. The Templars knew who they needed to open the door.

Alvar didn't care about being quiet anymore. He ran to the window and exited Evando's house. He didn't even bother to close the window. The Assassin ran as fast as he could through the streets. He was aware that he was abandoning his mission – and he couldn't care less. He was running towards the base, the mansion, his home.

Adonai had remained in the library, almost ready to join the revolution as well, when Alvar burst through one of the front doors, and ran upstairs as if the devil himself was after him. A moment later, Adonai heard his footsteps descending the stairs. He briefly stopped at the kitchen and then came through the already-opened library doors, wild-eyed.

"Where is she?" he panted, his eyes covering every inch of the library in his search for 'she'.

Adonai arched a brow at his pupil. "What is going on? Where is who?" he asked quickly, for he knew there was little time.

Alvar narrowed his eyes. "Vitoria, of course! She was _ordered_ to remain in this house until the streets were safe. So, where the hell is she?"

"Alvar," Adonai said warningly, "tell me what you know." The Mentor always remained calm under these type of circumstances.

"Rhona Theos was descendant of Zeus. It was written in a book that contained the bloodline of the gods, which the Templars found. I believe that was the secret the Artino brothers guarded." It was also why Maro pointed towards Vitoria after pointing at the word 'key' he had written. She was the key. And he hadn't pointed towards the wall of his church right after, but what lay beyond that wall. And if he wasn't mistaken, he had pointed towards the Acropolis – and beneath the Acropolis was the Cave of Zeus located. Alvar felt stupid for not realizing that sooner.

Adonai was dumbfounded, for now the question that had been driving him mad for years, was answered. The reason why Nicon killed Rhona, and why Rhona ordered her husband to do it. It was to show the Templars the bloodline had ended. It was to protect Vitoria from a life running away from people like Hidas – people who wanted what was located behind that door.

"I believe she ran towards the trainings ground," he finally said with a blank expression on his face.

Alvar frowned. "The trainings ground?" He questioned it only for a mere second, before turning on his heels and running towards the library doors, when Leon and Dryas appeared in it, blocking the way completely.

"It is your horse, Master. Brion is gone," Leon said with concern. There were only two people who were allowed to near that horse: Adonai himself, and Vitoria.

Adonai closed his eyes with a sigh. Another grave mistake by his hand.

* * *

What the hell was she doing?

Vitoria had saddled Brion and wanted to escape Athens altogether. Why didn't she stop? She really had no clue. It just happened. She wanted to get away from the mess she was currently in, but when she realized the mess was in her head, she felt stupid and had pulled on the reins.

Vitoria sighed. She was currently sitting on Brion, standing on a dirt road just outside Athens. The sun had already settled under the horizon, the night was approaching. She shouldn't have done this. Back to Athens wasn't an option; the streets had already been crowded with people fighting each other. Now it would be impossible to get through there. Especially with a horse. Maybe she just should stay here and wait until everything was done.

She wiped a hand across her face, and quickly dismounted the horse of her uncle. What had she been thinking exactly? Running away from one's problems, wasn't a solution.

"Vitoria?" A voice from behind startled her, and Brion. She was about to turn her head, when she felt pain in her head.

Suddenly, she found herself on the ground. Through her lashes and blurred vision she noticed hooves running in the opposite direction, while she was picked up from the ground.

"Leaving me with your revolutionary friends wasn't really a nice thing to do," was the last thing she heard.


	28. The Head and the Heart

**Hey guyz!**

**Let me just apologize for the extremely long wait, but I was trying to fix my laptop and kind a broke it in the process, so... I had to save my files and get them somehow on my desktop - which was a success btw. But guess what? My desktop sucks balls. And the chair in my room sucks even more balls. So it took me a while to write this. Anyway, yay! It's finally here. Whoohoo. **

**IcedFireFrenzy: Haha! That was my plan all along. :D**

**calwitch: Yep! And we'll see if Alvar can reach her in time. Maybe he will, maybe he won't. ^^**

**CodeSixty: Oh noes, don't explode! D: Also, thank you for the compliment. It really made my day. =D And don't worry about the misspellings!**

**I don't want to keep you guys, so have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

A flash of white. A woman screaming, jumping out of the way. Another corner. Muscles rolling underneath a supple coat that hangs on the frame. Eyes widened with fear, hooves clattering on the ground.

It was a single, saddled horse galloping through the streets of Athens. There was only one destination for the horse, and that was home. However, it never reached home, for a man caught his attention. His smell familiar, his hands holding the safety the horse was looking for.

"Where's your rider, Brion?" the man mumbled with concern. It was a rhetorical question; he didn't expect an answer. He didn't need one. He knew where she was, and he prayed she was well.

* * *

"She's waking up. Put her down."

Vitoria placed her hand on her head as soon as she felt the pain: It erased every thought in her mind, it made her groan heavily, it commanded her attention. Her eyes opened slowly and stared at a sunless sky. The sun had fallen below the horizon, leaving the sky dull, grey and dark – without any bright colours.

A face appeared in her view, looking her over before nodding at someone she didn't see nor cared about. She scowled at him as soon as she recognized him, and before she knew it her hands shot toward his neck. It was a poor attempt to strangle Evando and squeeze the life out of him, but her hands never made it to his neck. Someone grabbed her shoulders vigorously and pushed her back on the ground. She groaned again when her head hit the grass – it wasn't exactly soft.

Evando chuckled darkly. "Nice to see you, too."

"I am tired of seeing your- do you mind?" She gave the man, who was still keeping her down a piercing look. The Templar guard looked up at his boss, who simply shrugged. He let go of her.

Vitoria sat up straight, her lips pressed in a firm line as she attempted to dust herself off. She swallowed at the waves of pain in her head, and tried to ignore the dizziness that came after. Her eyes started to wander around, trying to figure out where she was exactly.

If she looked between the Templar guards, who were standing with their backs to her, she noticed the Acropolis towering in front of them – which gave away their location. She also noticed the people running around, the City Watch trying to defend themselves, bodies, kids... It was chaos.

"Why am I looking at the Acropolis?" Vitoria asked warily.

"Because," Evando paused for a moment to help her to her feet without her permission, "there is something you can help me with." He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her with him towards the side of the Acropolis.

She snorted in return. "I seriously doubt that."

Evando grinned. "Ah yes. I almost forgot you weren't _informed_. You see, your mother was part of an ancient bloodline. Unfortunately, she isn't here... but you are. I am positive that you can help me open a _certain_ door."

Vitoria turned to look at him, eyes showing caution and disbelief. She wanted to contradict him, deny every word he was saying, call him names, but whether she liked it or not - she knew the man beside her. If he didn't believe the words, he wouldn't say them out loud.

"What kind of bloodline?" she asked in a lower tone.

"The bloodline of the gods. You are a descendant of Zeus." Evando stopped for a moment and barked orders to the guards around them. After the guards had spread out, they continued walking towards the Acropolis. Upon closer look, Vitoria noticed _six_ Templar soldiers guarding an entrance she never knew existed in the first place – it had been hidden between the rocks for ages.

"My goodness," she murmured upon realizing there was a fourth cave hidden beneath the Acropolis.

They stopped walking just before the entrance. The cave was well-lit by torches, and Vitoria noticed odd symbols on the walls before Evando demanded her attention.

"Tell me, Vitoria, how does it feel to be the most wanted person in Greece? You are a traitor to your country. You financed the Resistance, you hid an entire Creed of Assassins in _your_ mansion! Do you even know what you're doing? Do you even know how many already have been killed because of the Assassins, because of _you_?" Evando was looking down on her with quirked brows. She shook her head furiously.

"Are you really going down this road? Okay. Fine. Do you know how many innocent people are killed under the king's rule? How many children turned orphans and had to live on the streets _and_ died anyway due to starvation because of that... that monster?" This was the thing why Vitoria hated Evando. He could twist and turn events to _his_ hand. "I financed the Resistance because they fight for what's right. I hid the Assassins because _they_ _fight_ _for what's right_. They do not seek power _or_ money. They put their lives at risk, day in and day out, for the freedom of the people. I _am_ a traitor to the king, yes, but I am _not _a traitor to Greece. However, co-operating with the king himself, you – Templars – are traitors to Greece."

Instead of being annoyed (like Vitoria), Evando was amused. He let out a short, humourless laugh. "You shouldn't be accusing before knowing all the facts – I see the Assassins have grown on you. We had no choice other than seeking help from the man we're trying to fight because _you_ left us no choice. I know the Assassins are making you believe we are the evil ones, corrupting this world with our lies and schemes, murdering people left and right. But we aren't the ones who call ourselves _Assassins_."

"You are the ones who torture and kill for information. You killed Maro, you evil bastard!" She interrupted him angrily.

Evando sighed quasi-dramatically. "Yes, we killed Maro. It was for the greater good. We needed the information to help build a new world. A better world. Do not look at me like that. Your dear Assassins killed the other Artino brother, and if you asked them why I'm sure they'd say the same. The greater good. Because if you want to change something as massive as the world, there'll be casualties. That's just how it is. And our aim is to minimize the casualties, while Assassins kill just because _we_ do not share the same ideals."

Vitoria scowled at him. "That is _not_ true."

Evando simply shrugged. "Maybe it is, maybe it's not. Does it matter? People die nevertheless." He grabbed her upper arm tightly and pulled her with him towards the entrance of the cave. Behind her a guard appeared to follow his boss – he had also been in the church. The six guards nodded at Evando, but ignored her completely.

As soon as she stepped into the cave (which was more of a hallway ending in a room than an actual cave) all the torches went out at the same time. For a second, the Cave of Zeus was completely dark. Then, the symbols on the walls started to glow a bright yellow/orange-ish glow, which lit up the cave entirely. Evando was eyeing the cave in awe, as they slowly continued to move forward.

The hallway ended in a round room. The symbols on those walls were glowing as well – except for one wall, which consisted of different people imprinted in the stone. She stole a glance and knew the people imprinted in the wall were gods. There were five more men in the room with her, Evando, and the guard following them named Dax: three Templar guards, and two men who seemed important. One of them was definitely the Grandmaster of the Templars, the other one reminded her of a rat, just way more ugly.

The most intimidating man, which was the one wearing a black cloak and hid his face beneath it, spoke: "It is an honour to meet you, Vitoria Terian." He tasted her name on his tongue. "I have heard a lot about you."

"You must be Hidas, Lazar's father," she replied warily.

"So you have heard of me, too," he said, somewhat satisfied. He slowly removed the cowl, and showed his face, which was... ordinary. He had gray, short hair and a gray beard. He had a couple of scars in his face, but nothing stood out. He looked older than he really was.

"No point in hiding, then."

Vitoria frowned at the Grandmaster, the alarms in her head were going off. Something was going to happen, and she wasn't sure what, but she knew it was bad.

"So, what are we going to do with her?" The rat-faced man asked impatiently.

Hidas looked her over, slowly, making sure the situation became beyond awkward, before answering: "Her blood. I believe we need her blood, Filipe." He gave a stern nod towards Evando, who pulled her with him towards the door. She was struggling heavily to go anywhere but near that door.

When there was a certain amount of distance between her and the door, she felt as if something (other than Evando) was pulling her towards it. While he was out of breath, she could breathe fine. For some reason, she reached with her hand for the door and touched the stone, without getting burned. She then came back to her senses and retracted her hand.

Evando let out a breath he had been holding. Filipe stared wide-eyed at her.

"Interesting," the Grandmaster commented thoughtfully.

Then, she felt something sharp pressed against her throat and her back was pushed against the door by Evando. Her eyes directing on Evando's. He was watching her, and she didn't see any indication of a human being inside of him. He was a true believer of the Templar cause. And even though she shared a history with him, he didn't seem to mind the idea of killing her right here, right now.

She glared at him, somewhat defiantly. She looked confident, but from the inside she could hear her heart pounding loudly in her head. Sweat was trickling down her back. She swallowed hard when he narrowed his eyes, but he waited for _permission_ to slit her throat, which made Hidas a lot more frightening than before.

There was an interruption. Clattering metal, hollow thuds, growls. Dax running towards the hallway, while unsheathing his sword. Evando reminding her he was still holding a knife, and pulled her in front of him, knife still pressed against her throat.

Alvar, somehow, was standing in the exact same position just like Evando and Vitoria. He was pressing a hidden blade against the throat of Dax. His robes were smeared with blood – how he had made it past the _six_ guards stationed at the entrance was beyond Vitoria. The two Templar guards were pointing their swords towards Alvar, but weren't taking action - afraid that the Assassin might slit the Templar's throat.

"Ah, the Master Assassin," Hidas muttered, quite amused.

"Let her go," Alvar said threateningly. He pressed his blade even harder against the guard's throat, showing that he wasn't playing a game. His eyes were concealed behind his hood, but there was no doubt in Vitoria's mind that he had killed any man in this room already in different ways.

The Grandmaster stepped towards him, showing his face completely to the Assassin. "My apologies, but I cannot do what you ask. You see, Vitoria is a necessity in my plan, _Alvar_."

A pause. A long pause. Vitoria watched him. He probably recognized Hidas – the man who killed his own father. He probably was processing this – realizing Adonai had been lying to him for years. And not only to him, but to Lazar as well.

Because Alvar wasn't reacting _at all, _the Grandmaster spoke again: "You are holding a simple Templar guard in your hands. He is aware of the risks. He can be just another casualty in this war we both know whose going to win."

After a moment, Alvar suddenly retracted his hands from the guard's throat. He was pushed violently against the wall by Templar guards who had sneaked up behind him. He didn't have a chance. Three guards held him in place, two of them were watching him carefully with unsheathed swords. His weapons were thrown on a pile, out of reach.

"Gettin' ambushed in the back? You're losin' your touch, Assassin. Is it because of her? Makin' mistakes is real sloppy, now," the man named Filipe grinned.

Alvar replied calmly: "You probably never made a mistake, _Barbas_. After all, it is hard to stumble when you're living on your knees."

Hidas was amused. "An Assassin _and_ a poet? I'm impressed. Your father would have been too. Speaking of him, you should know that whatever happened in that trainings ring, was an accident. I ruined many lives because of it. He was my friend. It is most unfortunate that you, of all Assassins, are trying to stop me."

"Is this how you are trying to redeem yourself? Gaining possession of something extremely powerful, and controlling Greece with it?"

"Redemption?" Hidas arched an eyebrow. "Who said anything about redemption? I am simply giving Greece what it deserves. Order. Control. That is how you create peace and safety. It is that simple. _I_ see that now." His eyes wandered through the room, and stopped when he glanced at Vitoria.

"But enough of this. Evando, open the door. Cut her hand. We may need her again."

Evando didn't hesitate. He turned her around, grabbed her hand and made a deep cut with his knife in the palm of her hand. She flinched at the stinging pain and watched as blood trickled down her hand, and then her wrist. Evando pushed it against the door. He could only hold on for so long, before retracting his hand as if he had burned it.

Vitoria frowned, wondering what could possibly happen - wondering what everyone was _expecting_ to happen - when suddenly the ground beneath them began to shake... and the door slowly began to move upwards.

Startled, she moved her hand away from the door, taking two steps back as the gap between the door and the ground grew.

It was a small space that appeared behind the door. The ground stopped shaking as soon as the door had disappeared in the ceiling. It was dusty, and filthy, and _empty _– except for one object, resting in the middle.

It was a sword. The blade was shaped in the form of a thunderbolt, the colour of the blade was yellow-ish. The pommel and the cross-guard of the sword were made out of gold. The weird atmosphere coming from the sword was making her feel dizzy. The Cave of Zeus... A thunderbolt... Was this supposed to be Zeus' thunderbolt? Zeus' weapon?

That _thing_, whatever it was, was extremely powerful – and everyone in the room was able to feel it.

Hidas ordered Dax to go get it – there was a good chance that there was a trap inside, so the Grandmaster didn't want to risk his own life.

There were no traps, except for the fact that as soon Dax had picked up the sword (which clearly was a lot heavier than a normal sword) the door _slowly_ started to come down again from the ceiling. Dax carried it to Hidas, holding it up so that his boss could take it.

"Sir."

With a wide grin on his face, Hidas took the sword from the guard's hands. "Thank you, Dax," he murmured, his mind somewhere else entirely. The man was happy, smiling even. He was admiring the sword, when Filipe interrupted.

"So, how do we know it... y'know, works?"

The Grandmaster looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face. She was afraid of what was going on in that mind of his. Then he pointed the sword towards Filipe, who looked just as surprised as anyone in the room.

Vitoria didn't know what she could expect from the sword, until Hidas pointed the sword towards Filipe. Some sort of electrical light – no, it was lightning – surrounded the blade and shot through the air, towards Filipe's chest. He stiffened, then started to move rapidly up and down before falling to his knees. Smoke was coming out of his chest, while blood escaped his parted lips. He fell face-first to the ground and never stood up again. The smell that filled the cave after was horrible. Vitoria covered her mouth and nose with her hand in some poor attempt to _not_ smell it.

"It works perfectly," the Grandmaster told them, as if they hadn't witnessed what had happened seconds ago. An ominous feeling had entered the room, while no one dared to speak in the presence of the Grandmaster, afraid of what he might do to them.

Suddenly, Hidas started to bark orders towards the guards, who immediately obeyed.

"... Evando, throw her in the room..."

She had no time to respond, because before she knew it she was thrown through the opening of the door, stumbled and fell to the ground. The only way out was the gap that kept getting smaller, and Evando was guarding it with a weapon. She scowled directly at the man, but Evando avoided her gaze. He didn't even dare to look in her eyes. _Coward_.

Alvar didn't sit still either. He had no weapons but that didn't mean he was doomed. With both hands he grabbed the man on his right, leaned on his shoulders to kick the sword out of the guard who had been standing behind him, and immediately turned away with the guard so that he was used as a meat shield for the attacks of another guard. Alvar snapped the man's neck just to be sure he wouldn't be a threat to him anymore and reached for the sword that was sticking out of his belly. His eyes shot towards the closing door, and tried to estimate the amount of time he had until that door had reached the ground again.

He turned around and blocked an attack from another Templar guard. It was four against one, Evando couldn't help out and the Grandmaster _didn't care_ to help out.

Alvar waited until one of the guards ran up to him, sword pointing towards his heart, and parried it with his own sword. He danced around the man, dodging attacks, and slit one of the guard's throat. He then rolled out of the way, towards his gear and grabbed his throwing knives to kill the last remaining Templar guards.

However, there was no time to catch his breath. Alvar rose to his feet, sword pointing towards the Grandmaster himself. His eyes darted from the door that was frightfully close to the ground, and the man he was supposed to stop.

Hidas glanced at him. "You have a clear mind of what you want and what is expected of you. Two choices, both just as fatal. _Did you_ _make the right choice_?" The Grandmaster was hinting towards stopping him - something the Creed expected him to do - or trying to save Vitoria - something he _wanted_ to do.

Alvar looked the man straight in the eye, then he looked back at the door.

Moments passed.

Damn it all, he thought as he turned on his heels and ran towards the door. His pace quickened, and at the last possible second, he let himself fall to the ground and glided through the gap, into the darkness. Behind him, he heard the door closing. His heart raced upon realizing what he had done.


	29. Revolution?

**Hey guyz!**

**Back again for a quick update. Everything's going to get from bad to worse... so prepare.**

**sa: Thank you for the compliments! You have no idea how much it means to me that you like it. :] And look a new update, here ya go!**

**So that's all I have to say today. =)**

**Have a good one and enjoy!**

* * *

"Alvar? Is that you?" Vitoria whispered almost inaudible. She had risen to her feet, despite the darkness surrounding her. She couldn't see anything, she couldn't even see her own hand when she waved it before her own eyes. She was standing with her back against the wall. The wall was the only thing that was familiar to her; that made her not disoriented. She was too afraid to take step away from it, for she didn't know where she stepped, or may touch.

"It is," Alvar's familiar voice filled the small space.

She closed her eyes for a moment, relieved that he was here. Then she opened them again upon realizing he was _here_. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be _here_. You should be on the other side of that door fighting Templars." Vitoria felt something running down the palm of her hands, down her fingers. With her other hand she held the hand that was cut by Evando, looking down – even though she couldn't see anything.

"I am right where I want to be." His voice was soft, and close by. She felt his hands touching hers, holding them. She sensed that he was standing really close, but she still couldn't see him. He didn't seem to have a problem with the darkness.

"With me? In a dark, inescapable place where we'll probably die of dehydration or starvation?" She sighed. One of his hands moved towards her chin, gently lifting it upwards as if he wanted to look in her eyes. She, however, didn't know where to look.

"Yes. With you. I'd give up saving the world to keep _you_ save." His words were genuine, which made something blossom in her stomach. Her cheeks turned red and for once she was glad it was too dark to see.

"Not the heroic thing to do," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Well, I was never the typical hero."

Vitoria closed the space between them, kissing him that ended with her hugging him tightly, her hands were wrapped around his neck. The feel of his body so close to her soothed her more than anything. She closed her eyes, holding him a little tighter as she felt he did the same.

"You are _my_ hero, if that means anything to you," she whispered. She couldn't believe she had just said the cheesiest line in the books _out loud_. And she didn't care, as she felt Alvar chuckle a little. They remained standing there, in the darkness, enjoying each other's warmth.

"Do you have any idea how to get out of here?"

"Not a clue."

* * *

"You need rest, Lazar," Elene said firmly, as she followed Lazar out of her bedchamber. She had put him there to get some rest, so that she could take care of him. And he had let her do it for a couple of hours. And now every Assassin was gone, and he wanted to help too.

"I can rest plenty when I'm dead," he countered as the two walked through the hallway and towards the stairs.

"Don't you say that! You can barely walk! And you look like you've just risen from the grave!" she yelled as they descended the stairs. As soon as Lazar's feet had stepped on ground level, he turned around to face Elene – who almost bumped into him.

"I need to go. I cannot be here and do nothing, while everyone is out there." His eyes met hers. He was genuine. She hated when he was genuine.

Elene sighed. "But you are in no condition to fight... I don't want you to die."

Lazar touched Elene's cheek with his hand affectionately. "I won't die," he assured her.

"But…"

"I won't." He looked directly into her eyes, his expression showing that he was absolutely _not_ planning on dying today. "Alright?" He wanted to hear it from her.

She gave in. "Alright," she mumbled in a childish manner, rolling her eyes. "Come here." She hugged him briefly and then had to let him go. Elene watched as Lazar exited the mansion, and sighed again. She was about to walk away, when Sophia came rushing round the corner.

"Have you seen Renoz?" she asked worried. "I haven't seen him for a while now."

Elene put her hands on her hips. "I'm sure he's around somewhere. This mansion has enough rooms to keep him busy. But I'll help you find him."

Sophia smiled warmly. "Thank you."

Elene went upstairs to search for Sophia's little brother, and when she looked (by accident) out of one of the windows, she stopped with what she was doing. A wave of fear washed over her. The young woman ran out of the room she was currently in, frantically yelling Sophia's name. They met in the hallway downstairs, in front of the entrance.

Elene opened the front door and let Sophia see what she had seen.

Sophia almost choked. "What is this? What am I looking at?" she whispered, fear blossoming in her stomach.

Elene bit her lower lip. The path towards the mansion was filled with guards. Templars. They were heading for the entrance.

"I believe the Templars have found out this is the Creed's base…"

Elene closed the door, panicked.

"We have to hide."

* * *

Leon and Dryas were standing on the buildings surrounding the Great Plaza. Their eyes looking down at the chaos that was their doing. They had never seen so many people on the Great Plaza. It was packed, and every single one of them was angry. Leon noticed more than half of the people were carrying weapons such as knives, sticks, pans. Some of them were throwing rocks to windows and even guards. It seemed as if the whole city was standing before them. However, he knew that wasn't true. There were more crowds such as these scattered all over the city.

The City Watch was, just like the last time, standing in front of the gallows, blocking the way towards the court of justice, and therefore protecting the king – who hadn't made an appearance. They were blocking the way with over sixty guards. The City Watch was also blocking the way towards the Vasco Bank, making sure no one was getting in. They killed ruthlessly, showing that they weren't playing games, and constantly screaming to the crowds to go home. There were bodies lying on the ground, killed by the City Watch, but there was also bodies in the middle of the crowds, killed because of the large numbers as the crowds jostle for the court of justice or the bank. Sam and Thane were standing somewhere in the crowd as well, protesting and throwing rocks. Adonai was also hidden somewhere in the crowds, but he simply observed.

Leon and Dryas moved over towards the rooftop of the Vasco Bank, squatting down as they briefly took everything in.

"Do you know what's the most disturbing of all this?" Leon asked without looking up from the yelling and screaming crowds.

Dryas frowned. His eyes flashed over the motionless bodies, the blood, the beatings people got. "No?"

"There are no Templars here. None."

Dryas searched the crowds, and noticed Leon was right. No Templars. Not even one. That couldn't be a good sign. "Sure hope Alvar was on time," the broad man muttered.

Leon nodded in agreement. "You and me both, brother."

There was a brief moment of silence between them, before Leon rose to his feet – Dryas followed his example – and he gave his friend a quick glance. "Shall we be off, then?"

Dryas shrugged. "Might as well."

The two Assassins looked down on the guards located below them, standing before the steps that lead towards the entrance of the Vasco Bank. There were a lot of guards, and there were only two of them. But they had their orders, so they looked at each other to time the air assassinations.

"Here goes nothing," Leon muttered under his breath as his hidden blades slid out of their holders and he jumped down. Beside him, Dryas jumped down too.

Both of the Assassins took two guards of the City Watch with them down to the ground, as they plunged their blades in their necks. Leon immediately turned his back to Dryas and focused himself on the remaining guards. He ducked as one of them swung his sword towards his head, and he attacked.

The two Assassins fought back-to-back, the only thing they didn't count on were the crowds fighting by their sides, making this battle a lot easier for them. Sometimes they plunged forward with their weapons, sometimes they offered weapons to the Assassins, such as a fragile frying pan Leon had grabbed and was smashed after one hit.

When they were done, and some of the guards had fled, they ran inside the Vasco Bank and stepped aside, their backs against the wall, as people were pouring into the Bank, breaking everything that could be broken, stealing everything that seemed valuable.

Leon and Dryas looked at each other between the moving heads of the people. They had done what was asked of them.

Somewhere blended in the madness of the crowds outside the Vasco Bank was Adonai. He had watched his men successfully taking over the Vasco Bank, which left only one building to take over. The court of justice.

Adonai started moving. He shoved people out of his way, as he tried to reach the front rows. He was aware that this would be the last thing he did as a mentor. Maybe it was the last thing he would ever do, either way, his days were counted. He had broken the tenets. Punishment: death. Maybe it was for the better.

He had almost reached Sam and Thane, when his feet abruptly stopped moving. His heart started hammering in his chest, his eyes darting towards the balcony where the king had given countless of speeches. Beside him, the crowds roared, they hadn't noticed it yet. They hadn't noticed him yet.

The man wearing a large hood, covering his face, and a black mantle was standing on the balcony. He looked down on the crowds for seconds, or minutes, Adonai had no idea for how long he had stared at the man. But he was aware of the identity of this man.

The man threw his hands in the air, demanding silence. He stood there for ages, but he eventually got what he wanted.

A cold shiver ran down Adonai's spine.

Dryas and Leon exited the Vasco Bank to see what was going on and why the crowds suddenly had fallen silent. All eyes turned to the man on the balcony.

"People of Greece!" His voice echoed over the Plaza. A pause.

An impatient man from the crowds threw a rock in his direction, which he caught perfectly, immediately making a statement. The people were wary, but did want to listen to what he had to say.

"I come in peace," he said dryly, eyes on the rock in his hand. He threw it over his shoulder and turned his attention back to the Great Plaza. "I am here to give you what you want!"

No one said a word, everyone was waiting.

The man grinned as he revealed his face for all to see. Hidas gestured towards the entrance of the court of justice. "The king."

Eyes widened, jaws dropped, as the doors to the court of justice opened and Templars marched out. One of the men that came out of the court of justice wasn't a guard. It was Zephyr Vasco, the king. His hands were bound behind his back and they made him climb the stairs to the gallows. They forced him to kneel on the stand, for all to see. His head was hanging, shoulders slumped. He had just been betrayed by the Templar Grandmaster.

Adonai narrowed his eyes. Why did he betray him? Why now? The worst-case scenario played out in his head. He pushed it away quickly.

"It is time that Zephyr Vasco shall be punished for all of his sins. I'll be the executioner. And we shall rise once again." Hidas was smiling now. Some people from the crowds were cheering, most of them were still wary. Especially when Hidas didn't move from his spot. How was he going to be the executioner while remaining on the balcony?

"Oh no…" Adonai muttered under his breath.

Hidas grabbed a sword that (apparently) had been leaning against the small walls of the balcony, and showed it to the people. The blade was shaped like a thunderbolt, it had a yellow-ish colour. _A sword like no other._

It wasn't just Adonai now, who understood the situation. Thane knew it too, just like Dryas and Leon. Where was Alvar? Vitoria? _What happened_? Did they fail? Were they dead?

Hidas pointed the sword towards Zephyr Vasco, who had already seen what it could do. He closed his eyes.

"Zephyr Vasco, any last words?"

The Great Plaza was holding its breath, nobody moved, nobody talked. A breeze blew over them. Zephyr remained quiet.

"Then hereby _I_ sentence you to death."

An electric light embraced the sword and shot through the air, towards Zephyr Vasco. The man stiffened for a moment, his face pointing to the sky as he convulsed. Then, his eyes rolled back and he fell on the wooden stand.

For a brief moment, the people were silent, progressing what had just happened. Then the screaming started. Like a herd of wild animals, they ran away, afraid of the power Hidas was currently holding. People got shove out of the way, fell on the ground, were trampled. Fear was contagious.

Adonai bumped into a lot of people as they fled the Great Plaza. He remained standing as most of the people had passed him.

Sam and Thane were standing before him, both showing the worry that he was feeling. He turned around quickly to Leon and Dryas, who were still standing near the entrance of the Vasco Bank. Leon was the one who met his gaze, and Adonai gave the Assassin a simple gesture with his head to get out of sight.

Leon got it and, before he knew it, the two Assassins were gone.

Adonai turned around towards Hidas, who looked down upon them.

"Well, look at that. It's my lucky day," he mumbled as Templar guards surrounded them.


	30. Take Care

**Hey guys,**

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry and sorry. It's been over a year and I know I am a terrible person. I had writer's block, especially when I came to this story. And when I realized it's been so long, I decided I only would return and post until it was completely done. **

**And it is done. I'll be updating every day until the story is complete. There are four chapters left. **

**For all the people reading, thank you very much. And thank you for your patience. And thank you in general. **

**Have a good day and enjoy!**

* * *

"Renoz-!" Sophia called out as she ran through the hallway on the first floor. Elene immediately shut her up, pushing her friend frantically against the wall.

"Are you out of your mind?" she hissed under her breath.

Sophia stared back in her eyes, noticing the same fear she was feeling. "My little brother has to know!"

The two women heard a loud _bang _coming from the front doors. They had just been kicked in, no doubt. The familiar sound of heavy boots echoed through the mansion.

Sophia was the first one to react after they realized they were in big trouble. She started to run faster, opening doors, whispering her little brother's name. But Renoz was nowhere to be found.

"Ren-!"

Elene grabbed Sophia and pushed her in the nearest room, which turned out to be Adonai's study room. No one had ever entered the room, except for Adonai. And he even barely used it. There was a dusty desk and a couple of books stacked on the ground.

"They're on this floor. We need to move that desk."

Sophia and Elene both stood at the side of the desk and pushed it against the door. As soon as they heard the familiar sound of the heavy boots, they walked backwards. They were trapped. When the soldiers had reached the study, and realized the door couldn't be opened, they started pounding and yelling.

It took them over five minutes to finally open the door. When they entered, they had their swords ready. Elene managed to hit one of them with a book before she was captured. Sophia struggled, but was too weak to do anything. The guards took them towards the library. Sophia felt sad as they passed chambers where Templars were wrecking the place. All the statues in the hallway were lying broken on the floor.

Upon entering the library, both Elene and Sophia were shocked. Books were thrown on one pile, the bookcases had fallen over, the desk of Adonai had been smashed in half and everything was thrown on the ground. It was a complete mess. Elene and Sophia were forced to sit on the ground, their hands and feet tied together.

"What are you going to do with us?!" Elene yelled, eyes like fire, while Sophia looked around, noticing Renoz hadn't been captured yet. If he had been there at all.

The Templar soldier simply raised an eyebrow. "You're going to burn. This whole place will light up." Nonchalantly, he lit the pile of books with fire.

Sophia's eyes grew wider. Protests were pouring from her lips as the Templar soldiers walked away. The doors remained open and the last soldiers that left the mansion were two Templars with barrels in their hands, a trace of some sort of powder remained behind. Both of the women had heard the story of Leon about Chinese goods that blew up.

One of the soldiers flashed a smug smile before lighting the trail of the powder and closing the doors of the mansion. Sophia and Elene both immediately started to wriggle.

"Come on, come on, come on…" Elene muttered to herself as she tried to slip out of the ropes, and failing.

Suddenly, the mansion shook and a loud _boom_ was heard, which came from the Assassins' chambers. Bookcases that were still standing, had now fallen as well. Debris was falling from the roof. Sophia was screaming. The smell of burning paper hung in the air as Elene watched the pile of books.

"We're doomed."

It was when Elene said that, Renoz stuck his head around the corner of the library. His eyes frightened yet hard. In his hand he held a knife he'd found in one of the bedchambers of the Assassins.

"Renoz!" Sophia yelled relieved. Another barrel exploded, the mansion shook dangerously.

Renoz ran towards his sister and cut the ropes without hesitation. Pieces of the roof started falling, the fire was spreading from the books towards the whole library. Another explosion and the Assassin's Creed Base would fall to ashes.

"Come on!" Elene yelled, grabbing Sophia and Renoz by the hand and running towards the closed doors. But the doors were locked, barricaded even. They couldn't get them open. Sophia and Elene gazed at each other for a moment.

"The window." Renoz was already running back into the library and up the stairs. Elene and Sophia followed him quickly. Sophia's eye caught the chair that belonged to the desk, and took it with her.

Another devastating explosion echoed through the building. This was the worst one yet. Renoz managed to throw himself up the stairs, while Elene grabbed the banister as the ground shook again. This time part of the stairs cracked and crumbled and Sophia fell back down, hitting the floorboards of the library hard.

"Sophia!"

She managed to get up again, only to realize the stairs had been damaged too high for her to reach and there wasn't enough time.

"Get on the chair and take my hand!" Elene was screaming now, her hand was hanging over the damaged stairs, her other hand wrapped around the banister.

Sophia shook her head. "Take the chair and smash the window. Get out alive."

Elene was completely shocked at her words, while Sophia already held the chair above her head high enough so that she could reach it. "Elene! There is no time! Do as I say!"

Elene grabbed the chair and hoisted it up as some of the walls of the library started giving in. She met Sophia's watery eyes for the last time.

"Take care of him, okay?"

Elene took the chair and ran up the last couple of steps. She grabbed Renoz by the hand, ignoring every protest. Finally, she threw the chair through the window, which shattered the glass completely, and jumped out with Renoz. Behind them the last couple of barrels exploded. The mansion was completely in flames and collapsed on itself.

* * *

Frustration seeped through her bones as she let out a loud huff. "I'm getting real tired of not seeing _anything_," Vitoria complained. She had been tracing her fingers along the walls, searching for something that could help them with escaping. She also had been snapping her hand back every now and then when her fingers touched something unfamiliar to her. Her hand was bleeding again, for Alvar (much to his displeasure) had reopened the wound with the sword he had picked up in a fight to see if the door reacted to her from this side.

It hadn't.

While the both of them had been searching for something, Vitoria had told Alvar everything Adonai had told her the same evening. Alvar had been displeased already with the appearance of Hidas, but hearing that his Mentor was responsible for the death of her father, made his blood boil. He had been lying to his own pupils for years. She didn't want to be there when Adonai came home to the mansion after all… this.

She probably wouldn't even _be_ there if they remained in this situation.

Vitoria stopped walking. She wasn't standing near a wall, that much she knew, and she didn't care either. "That's it. I give up. We're going to die here. Might as well be comfortable about it. Or maybe you can give me a swift death with that sword. That's the humane thing to do, anyway." Even without seeing his expression, she could feel her sarcasm wasn't tolerated. His eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness.

"I am not going to kill you, Vitoria," he said dryly, his voice bouncing off the walls. He then grunted in annoyance, a clear sign that he, as well, was having a hard time figuring out what to do about the situation they were currently in. "For some reason I can't see anything."

Vitoria laughed humourlessly. "Welcome to the world of the blind." Again, she couldn't see his expression, but even an idiot knew he was rolling his eyes.

Alvar had been talking about his Second Sight. Whenever he used it, certain things in his sight started to appear brighter to him. It helped him with finding his target, keeping an eye on him, knowing what to do, what to use… Here, however, it didn't seem to work. When he used it, he could see the outlines of Vitoria, the walls, but nothing stood out. Nothing.

He sighed, pushing the worries that drifted into his mind away.

"Do you think Lazar is aware of the fact that his father is alive?" Vitoria asked, sitting herself down on the dusty ground.

"I have no idea. Never been really interest-" He stopped midsentence. "Do that again."

"Hm?"

"Whatever you did, do it again." The tone in his voice made her nervous. Nevertheless, she did what he asked of her: She stood up, only to sit back down with a _thud_. Vitoria could hear he was approaching, and suddenly she felt a hand on her upper arm, gently pushing her out of the way. So she moved out of the way.

"What is it?"

Alvar was sweeping the floor with his hands: She could feel the sand and dust on her as he did so. He knocked on the floor, listening carefully. "Give me one of your hands."

She stared at Alvar – or at least she thought she was staring at him. But did it anyway. He placed her hand on the floor. He still hadn't answered her question.

"Would you please tell me what the hell is go-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a loud noise filled the space surrounding them and suddenly the ground beneath them disappeared entirely.

Vitoria had barely time to scream.

She landed face-first in something she could only describe as 'muddy'. Not only that, it smelled like something had died in it as well. Vitoria made a face as she looked up. To her surprise, she was able to see vague glimpses in this new space they found themselves in. Beside her, Alvar had already gotten up. She followed his example.

"Where are we?" she asked as she stepped out of whatever she had been lying in. Vitoria had no idea how it was possible that she was able to see vague silhouettes, for this room was just as sealed as the previous one. The only difference was that this, wherever that was, looked and smelled like an actual cave.

"This is Zeus' backup plan," Alvar said as he continued looking around. He noticed something in the corner of the cave and kneeled down next to it. After she cleaned the mud off of her somewhat, she peeked over his shoulder curiously.

It was a gold coin. And it looked familiar.

"I believe you own a couple of these," Alvar muttered as he offered her the coin, which she took to get a closer look. She nodded.

"So my family stole all the gold out of this cave and put it in a bank so that they could use it. And here I thought they had earned the money by doing, I don't know, good things. Smart things." She gave Alvar the coin back.

Alvar mused. "You cannot steal something that is already yours. If we must believe the history surrounding your bloodline, it means you're Zeus' descendant. He created this. Whether _he_ put the coins here or someone else from your bloodline did, it doesn't matter. Someone of _your_ family put it here. And someone of _your_ family decided to move it, not steal it. Do you know what that means?"

Vitoria gave him a funny look. "My family aren't thieves?"

A smile tugged at his lips. He placed a kiss on her forehead. "That, and we got ourselves a way out. I believe those stairs over there is our answer."

Stairs? Vitoria hadn't even noticed there were stairs in this cave. Alvar guided her towards them. Having to walk sideways up the stairs because the walls were _that_ close to each other was a first for her. The walls were musty and moist. Vitoria had to breathe through her mouth in order to keep herself from gagging.

When they had walked up the stairs, and Alvar had to operate some kind of mechanism to let them through a wall that was keeping them from freedom, they had to roll under it. Vitoria was pleased to see the glowing symbols again. They lit up the hallway in the Cave of Zeus. Nobody was in here, except for the lifeless body of Filipe Barbas. The wall they just had come out had closed itself as soon as Vitoria had come out of it.

She closed her eyes for a moment, lips twitching with the faintest hint of a smile. She forgot that beyond these walls a revolution was raging. She was just happy to be out of there.

When Vitoria opened her eyes again and rose to her feet, Alvar had already grabbed his weapons and attached them to himself. He hurried past her, when she managed to grab his arm. Her eyes revealed her true feelings: Fear. Fear for his life. Hidas was now the most powerful man. Stopping him seemed impossible, yet Alvar would try.

"Stay alive," she whispered – pleaded. Her eyes met his as the grip on his arm faded. Letting him go was against her heart's wishes, but she had no right to keep Alvar here.

He turned back. His hand caressed her cheek and ended on her chin; gently forcing her to look up into his eyes. He didn't blink. "I will." He gave her a reassuring glance before hiding his eyes behind his hood.

"Be safe, Vitoria."


	31. Showdown

Adonai was still standing in the Great Plaza. He, Thane and Sam were surrounded by numerous Templar guards. Hidas stood on the balcony.

It was his father who snapped. Thane had drawn his sword and parried attacks. He even killed some of the guards. Adonai helped. As did Sam. They fought against the guards, giving out blows, getting them back.

When Hidas thought it was enough, he pointed Zeus' sword towards them. The lightning shot yet again from the point of the sword, towards the ground. It didn't hit anyone, just the dusty ground they stood on. It was enough to make them stop fighting. However, one of the guards that was fighting Thane didn't hesitate for a moment before thrusting his blade into his stomach.

"No!" Adonai shouted as his feet tried to carry him towards his father's side, but guards stopped him and forced him to his knees. They did it to Sam as well.

Thane was still standing on his feet until the guard pulled his sword out. He fell slowly to his knees, then onto his back. His hands were on the fresh wound, trying to prevent the blood from pouring out. Except, it was already pouring out. His hands were smeared with blood, and already a puddle was forming around him. His head fell to the side, his eyes searching for Adonai's.

"Bring them in."

Adonai and Sam were forced to stand up and leave Thane. It was the final stand, Adonai was sure of it. He glanced beside him towards Sam, who – in his eyes – was just a kid. His eyes had darkened, his heart hardened. He was out for blood.

They were taken to the heart of the Court of Justice. The Throne Room, where the king sat and took decisions. Instead, they found the throne empty. Hidas was standing beside it, sword in hand. The Throne Room was luxurious, a lot of the decorations were accented with gold. There were numerous hallways and doors that ended in this room, and they were all guarded by Templars.

The bearded man flicked his eyes over towards Adonai and Sam.

"It seems that, despite all your efforts, you are still easily defeated." Hidas eyes glimmered.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance." Adonai's response was low. His eyes never straying from Hidas, not blinking once. He'd felt helpless once, and now, with his father dying just outside this building, he felt it again.

"Yes, you should have. But instead you banished me from the only life I had ever known. Banished me from my own son." His words turned into growls as he stepped forward.

"I spared your life, Hidas. I gave you a second chance and you turned your head to our enemies. You killed innocents. You killed your own brothers."

His anger showed. His sword pointing towards Adonai's chest, eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "You gave me no choice!" He screamed. The words echoed through the entire Throne Room. Their eyes were still on each other. "Anyway," Hidas continued calmly, "The Templars showed me another way. A better way. No men telling me what to do, who to kill. No, that was the Assassin way."

"So what do you call this then?" Sam countered angrily. "All those people that died? You deny killing them?"

Hidas eyes shifted darkly from Adonai to Sam, the sword still pointing at the Mentor. "I killed those people because of you, revolutionaries, you, Assassins," he hissed the term as if it was poisonous. "You forced my hand. I would have taken over cleanly, executing the king properly. It was what the people would have wanted. But I had to take precautions." His eyes flicked for a moment toward the sword in his hand.

"What happened to Alvar and Vitoria?" Adonai asked bitterly.

Hidas inhaled deeply, lowering the sword. He turned his back towards his captives, his eyes fell on the throne. "Your Master Assassin made a decision. And instead of choosing to save Greece, he chose your niece. And I simply made sure they'd never be apart." He turned around again to see the agony on Adonai's face. He was not disappointed. But even though Hidas had enjoyed his time playing with his prey, he needed them gone. He needed all the Assassins gone. And the easiest way to scatter all those rats, was by cutting off the head of the snake.

* * *

Alvar was running as fast as he could. He sprinted past bodies, crying women, screaming children. He hoisted himself up on a ledge and jumped from building to building. When he came to the Great Plaza, his eyes scanned the environment. Some bodies were alive, some dead. His eyes turned to the buildings, where he noticed three figures. Upon closer look, he realized it were Dryas, Leon and Lazar. And they seemed to argue.

He approached them with haste.

"No, that is the worst plan I've ever heard of!" Leon growled. "We should enter via the balcony. It is the fastest option out there!"

Lazar shook his head furiously. "The back. We should enter via the ba-" His words died down upon seeing the sight of Alvar. They were all quiet.

"Alvar? We thought you were dead man, just like V," Leon muttered in disbelief. "We saw the Grandmaster with that weapon…"

Alvar held up his hand, stopping Leon midsentence. "Vitoria and I are both fine." His eyes shifted towards Lazar. It was the first time he regarded Lazar as an equal, and not like his enemy. He didn't know why. "Hidas is the Grandmaster. Adonai spared his life." The man didn't look surprised. Alvar raised his brow.

"I know," he said.

"What?! And you didn't even think to tell the Mentor that?" Dryas took a step in Lazar's direction, but Leon stopped him from doing anything stupid.

"Dryas. There is no time for this. I am assuming they are inside?"

Leon nodded his head. "Adonai and Sam are. Thane…" He shook his head. "They stabbed him."

Alvar gave a stern nod. His eyes flicked over towards the Court of Justice. The little knowledge he had about the building was that the Throne Room was the heart of it all. And he was certain Hidas would be there, executing Assassins. "Alright. Leon, you'll go via the balcony. Lazar, via the back. Dryas, search for a window at the left side. I'll go via the front door. We'll meet each other in the Throne Room. Make haste. Lives are depending on it. And watch out for that sword and its power. It will kill you in an instant." There were no complaints. They all jumped down from the roof, taking their tasks seriously. Alvar followed.

Before the entrance he looked up to see Leon disappearing through the balcony. He sucked in a breath, prepared himself and slid through the opening of the door. As he expected, there were a couple of guards stationed at his first stop – which was the entrance hall. He broke the neck of the first one and drew his daggers. With fast and cunning slices and cuts he managed to weaken his opponents.

When he slid the throat of the last guard and threw his body out of the way, his eyes flicked over to the giant closed doors that no doubt led to the Throne Room. It was time to face Hidas.

Alvar pushed the giant doors open, and found an unpleasant sight at the other side of the doors. He heard the doors close behind him, as his eyes quickly scanned the room. He was counting guards, noticed Lazar at the other end of the room, hiding in a hallway.

"Alvar. How am I not surprised." Hidas raised his sword and lightning shot through the air towards him. Alvar managed to dodge it. He then ran towards the nearest pillar to hide behind.

Adonai and Sam were located in the middle. Sam was lying on the ground – Alvar didn't know whether he was dead or alive – while Adonai was still alive. Bleeding, but alive.

"Alvar, come here!" Hidas yelled. The words echoed through the room, and died there. No response. Alvar listened carefully for movement. There was movement, but he couldn't see what was going on.

"Come out, or I will kill all four of them."

_Four?_

He glanced from behind the pillar and saw Leon and Dryas being dragged to the middle. Lazar had vanished from his spot in the hallway and was nowhere to be found. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking to himself that they had been defeated. Perhaps Greece would never be free.

He came out, slowly walking towards the scene. He was stripped from his weapons and forced to his knees between Adonai and Dryas.

"I'm sorry you have to witness the death of your pupils, Adonai." Hidas raised his sword again, this time Alvar noticed the exhaustion on Hidas' face. The sword was heavy. His arms were tired. And no doubt the sword was somehow mentally torturing the man as well. Something with that much power always had a price. Beside him he felt Dryas shift – he was bleeding, but his spirit was still strong as he deadpanned Hidas. He was not afraid to die. Alvar noticed the lightning already starting to form around the blade.

"Hidas."

It stopped. The sword lowered. Dryas let out a shaky breath. Alvar looked up to see Lazar standing in the room. His hood was down, his eyes regarded his father as he'd regard a stranger. And perhaps they were strangers.

Hidas eyes met his son's, and he failed to notice Alvar's subtle gestures towards his friends.

"Ah, my son has arrived for the conclusion. Did you finally change your mind?"

Lazar narrowed his eyes. The only father he knew was the one he remembered from his childhood, the one who knew what honour was, the one who strongly believed in the Creed. This man, whoever he was, was not his father. It were the eyes that gave it away – it was the power he was holding. It corrupted him. He looked like a crazy old man.

"I was born an Assassin. I will die an Assassin." His answer was clear. Then everything went fast. Alvar, Dryas, Adonai and Leon started their attack on the Templars that guarded them. Alvar was the quickest to kill them. He ran towards Hidas. Unfortunately, Hidas had anticipated his move; Zeus' sword already pointing towards his chest, his heart. He froze. He never froze, but for some reason he did it now. Alvar stood there as the lightning formed around the blade and shot through the air, towards him.

* * *

Vitoria had tried. She had tried to _be safe_. To go back to the mansion. It was then she realized that she couldn't. She could not turn her back to the Great Plaza, to Alvar. Everything seemed lost. And she had no idea who was still alive and who wasn't. The only thing she knew was that her heart was beating loudly as she neared the Great Plaza, and that Alvar was the last person she'd seen alive.

Vitoria gasped when she saw the first glimpses of the Great Plaza. Bodies were everywhere. Most of them were lying motionless in front of the Court of Justice and the Vasco Bank. It looked like a massacre, she'd never seen so much cruelty.

She placed her feet carefully on the cobblestones, making sure she didn't step on or in anything. Men and women lay on the ground. Some stared at the sky, others were lying on their bellies. She recognized one of the bodies and rushed over, falling to her knees next to him.

"Thane?" Vitoria grabbed his hand, which was already getting cold. His pale face was staring at the sky, eyes closed. She noticed the stab wound and the dried blood. Carefully, she placed his hand on his chest and simply sat there, head drooped, shoulders slumped. She felt sick. Her stomach was twisting and turning. Thane had been a good man. He didn't deserve the death that was given to him. He deserved to die of old age, surrounded by his family and friends in a peaceful Greece that he created. Not like this- stabbed and left for dead in the middle of the Great Plaza.

Too many lives were taken today.

Vitoria felt a hand on her shoulder. She'd been too numb, too occupied to notice any movement behind her. Whoever had placed a hand on her shoulder, was now offering a knife. Frowning, Vitoria followed the hand towards the face. It was Arastoo. His head was red – blood. She doubted it was his. She wondered, though, whose blood it was. Revolutionaries? Or Templars?

"Take it. Whatever you're going to do…" His eyes flicked to the lifeless body of Thane, then back to her. "I'm sure you need it."

Hesitating, she took it from him. Inspecting the rather clean knife, she heard him walking away. "Wait," she rose to her feet and turned to him. "Where are you going?"

Arastoo stopped only to say: "I'm done here."

Perhaps she should have stopped him, screamed at him for being a coward, for killing all those innocent people, and yet… there was nothing. She let him walk away, watched him even. Somewhere Vitoria knew this was the last time she'd see Arastoo Bronte. Her eyes flicked towards the knife in her hands, the smooth blade, the simple design. Then she gazed at Thane, her grandfather. Her fingers curled around the knife, as she turned towards the entrance.

In the entrance hall of the Court of Justice she barely noticed a figure disappearing through the doors to her right. The gloved hand was all she needed to know. Her feet had already carried her past the bleeding guards. She slipped through the doors and followed him. The right hand of the Grandmaster. Her ex who tried to murder her. Evando Kellis.

He walked with a purpose. She followed him. When he took a left, she followed as well. He went through a door, she slipped through it too. There she managed to remain quiet when she noticed she'd arrived in the Throne Room.

"I was born an Assassin. I will die an Assassin," She heard Lazar say. Vitoria saw Hidas with Zeus' sword in his hand. She saw Dryas, Alvar, Adonai and Leon kneeling on the ground. Sam was lying on the ground.

Suddenly, the Assassins started to attack the guards. Alvar managed to break the first guard's knee, he stood, swung around the neck of the screaming guard, while kicking the second guard in the face. He broke the neck of the first. The second guard fell backwards, right in Dryas arms who literally threw him across the room. Her eyes remained on Alvar as he ran, when she noticed Hidas' sword was up. Automatically, she stepped forward. This caused Evando to notice her. The only thing she saw was Zeus' sword pointing at Alvar's chest before Evando grabbed her and shoved her against the wall. She managed to kick him in his groin. He screamed.

Vitoria fell to her knees, the knife clattering on the marble stones. The sound of lightning that had shot through the air echoed in the room, followed by a scream. For a moment, Evando was stunned. She decided to take advantage of the situation. Grabbing the knife, she jumped on his back and plunged it in his shoulder.

He roared like a lion, as he managed to grab her and throw her from his back. She fell further into the Throne Room. Vitoria landed painfully on her shoulder and rolled a little further. Her eyes searched frantically around the room, looking for Alvar. When she did find him, the room fell silent – even still. It was as if everyone had simply seized to exist. She forgot about Evando, she didn't notice Lazar and Hidas struggling for the sword – lightning was shot around the room due to their struggle, and the fighting Assassins had blurred out. Vitoria crawled across the Throne Room until she arrived at Alvar's side. His eyes were closed, head resting to the side and there was no breathing.

"Alvar?" she heard herself whisper in the midst of all the fighting. Her fingers ran along his face. A lump had already formed in her throat, her eyes were filled with tears. She hadn't felt this pain since her father died… and even that didn't near this level of agony. It was anguish that tightened its fist around her heart, ripped it out of her chest and placed it back in. She had placed her hand on his chest, when a smell entered her nostrils she would never forget. It was the smell of a burning human. And it wasn't Alvar.

Her eyes shifted. Though blurry the sight was due to her watery eyes, Vitoria easily recognized her uncle. Or the thing that once was her uncle. He was roasted, to put it bluntly. As roasted as Filipe Barbas had been. She thought of all the dead around her, the past few months. She thought of Ion, her father, Maro, even Damian. And now Thane, Adonai and Alvar had fallen to its clutch as well.

She took Alvar's hand in her own and didn't even notice the tears that fell from her eyes. She stared at his face, hoping she would once again see his golden eyes. Yet he didn't open them. She wished he would stand up, tell her it was all a prank, but Alvar never joked around. He was always serious. In this matter, he would be no different. Her heart ached as she tried to remember every single detail of his face.

A loud clattering coming from somewhere near her startled her. She didn't care at first, until she realized the clattering sound had come from the sword of Zeus. It was lying within her grasp, calling her. Her eyes flicked from the sword, to Alvar, then Adonai to finally return to its hilt. Her eyes hardened, her features darkened as she snatched it away from the ground and rose to her feet. It was light as a feather, yet the feeling she got from holding it was most odd. Not unpleasant, not at all. It felt like adrenaline. She felt as if something was lifted from her shoulders – better than before. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. But she refused to let go of it, for it wasn't rational thinking that guided her. It was pure, blood-boiling anger.

She turned around on her heels, her gaze falling on the scene between Hidas and Lazar. Whatever had happened, Lazar had been too weak. He was bleeding from old and new wounds, gripping his ribs as he was sprawled out on the floor. Hidas towered over him, ready to do what was necessary to gain the power he sought.

"You!" she yelled, cheeks flushed. There was nothing but hellfire in her eyes. She pointed the sword without hesitation towards Hidas; there was nothing he could do to redeem himself. "You killed them."

Hidas looked up from his son. Upon seeing Vitoria with Zeus' sword in her hand pointing it at him, he stood a little straighter, taking a step back. He was bleeding as well, for Lazar's skills as an Assassin had not failed him today. And he was exhausted, for the sword seemed to take strength from the wielder. Yet, she didn't seem to be affected by any of it. A slight curve in his lips appeared at his thoughts.

"Your blood is pure."

"Shut your foul mouth!" She hissed. Her hiss was accompanied by a shudder that came from deep in the earth. It shook the building, causing everyone in the room to lose their balance for a moment. Frantic eyes gazed around, yet nothing came and nothing happened after.

Hidas lowered his head, now fully aware that it had been she who caused it. The sword was more than just a sword in the right hands. He knew he was done for as soon as he realized this. Her anger was greater than his words would ever be, so talking her down which would result in sparing his life was impossible. Instead, he could fuel her anger. She was able to take the Court of Justice down with her in her anger – which resulted in the death of enough great Assassins. It was his duty as the Templar Grand Master to try.

"I killed them. Indeed. And I would do it again. Stabbing your grandfather and leaving him to die, burning your uncle, who – might I add – heroically threw himself before Alvar. Unfortunately, he'd touched him when it hit so his redeeming actions were anything _but_ redeeming…"

"Hidas!" Lazar yelled with his last strength. He knew his father's intentions. He knew what he was doing. He tried to warn Vitoria, but he failed. His exhaustion and pain took over his senses.

"Or what about that Assassin friend of yours… He died rather early."

Vitoria's strength wavered for a moment. "Ion," she whispered, more to herself.

"Ah, yes! Ion! He was barely a challenge for us. Just like those three you all left behind so eagerly in your base of operations." He could have just slapped them all across the face. Dryas and Leon had looked up, the guards they had been fighting already lying on the floor. Even Lazar managed to glance at the Grandmaster. Deathly silence settled in for only a moment.

"They were not even guarded. Easy targets."

"What did you do with them?!" Her distress was showing in her features. Hidas knew it was this button he had to press to get her over the edge. He quirked his brows, an expression in his eyes as if it was all too obvious.

"They were tied up in your precious library. And your mansion was burnt down to the ground. But don't worry, their screams stopped when the walls collapsed on them."

His words had woken up something inside of her she had not felt before and she hoped she would never feel again. Before she even knew what she was doing, or how she was doing it, lightning formed around the blade – as it had so many times before – and it shot towards Hidas. But it didn't end there; the power was too great, it couldn't contain itself, or _she_ couldn't contain herself. Her anger was too great. There were no thoughts roaming her mind, no voices were able to reach her, for she was taken over it completely.

Lightning struck in every corner. It eventually led towards a bright, yellow-coloured explosion that struck everyone in the room: They went all flying through the air and smacked against the wall.


	32. From Ashes We Rise

Vitoria shifted. She opened her eyes only to see the Throne Room once more. Evando was lying at the other end of the Throne Room, his body was smouldering. She narrowed her eyes to look at his face, but he was unrecognizable. Burnt to the bone. It were his clothes that survived. It made her realize that Zeus' sword burnt someone from the inside out.

Her eyes flicked over to the sword that lay beside her. Except the odd shape, it looked like a regular sword. How eyes could deceive.

She sat up straight and groaned. Her head was pounding as if someone was constantly hitting it. She rubbed her hands over her temples in an attempt to soothe them, but it was to no avail. She was a little disorientated and a heavy feeling was weighing her down. Her mind went over everything that had happened, while she tried to push it all out – she didn't want to think about any of it.

Slowly, she sat up, leaning against the wall she'd been thrown at and closed her eyes. She let the exhaustion wash over her and tried not to drown in the waves.

After a while, Vitoria felt someone touching her hands. As her eyes slid open, she was greeted by the sight of Alvar. His hood was down. His golden eyes lingered on her face, although there was a pained expression in them.

"Am I dead?" It was the only logical explanation for the sight she was seeing. For Alvar to be there with her. Her eyes glanced around the room, half-expecting to see Adonai up and about as well.

"Does it matter?"

Vitoria gazed back at him for a long moment, before dropping onto her knees and threw her arms around his neck. He was there. That was all that mattered.

She realized she wasn't dead, and Alvar wasn't as well, when he groaned in pain. He fell backwards and lay on the ground, his elbows supported his upper body. Pain was showing in his features. She immediately inspected him. He had a lot of wounds, some worse than others, but the wound that hurting him the most was on his chest, near his ribs. It was where Adonai had pushed him away when he was hit by the sword.

His skin was burnt away. There were coloured bruises around the wound that reached his ribs. Between the bruises there were purple lines that spread from the wound over his chest and stomach. That was what happened when one got hit by lightning.

Alvar saw Vitoria's features change from relieve to concern and reached out his hand to her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I'll be fine." She nodded, giving him a small smile, but he knew the concern remained. He sat up with a lot of difficulty and gazed around the Throne room. Dryas and Leon were getting back on their feet as well. Even Sam was waking up, after being knocked out for so long.

"What have I missed?" The blonde-haired man asked as he scratched the back of his neck, glancing at all the motionless bodies in the corners of the room. Dryas gave him a pat on the shoulder, filling him in on the details.

Vitoria gazed around once more, sorrow glimmering in her eyes. She wondered how they all had survived, how they all weren't smouldering corpses by now. She didn't think Zeus' sword was selective. Perhaps, it was because she was.

"I wish it could have ended differently," she finally admitted, her eyes glued to the corpse of Adonai. There were so many things she wanted to say to him.

"He has said what he had to say. The troubles he'd been living with for years are no longer haunting him. He is at peace now."

Vitoria's eyes flicked back to Alvar. "I hope so. I really do."

Leon and Dryas helped Alvar back on his feet, Sam helped Lazar up. Dryas' features were grave, his demeanour even a little slumped as his gaze was lowered. "We need to go back to the Base… or what's left of it. I need to know if she's…" He couldn't finish his sentence. He couldn't imagine a life without his sister.

Alvar placed his hand on Dryas' shoulder, giving his friend a sympathetic smile and a stern nod. He was about to reply, when a shriek from Leon made everyone look up.

Vitoria had been reaching for Zeus' sword, knowing that it wasn't clever to let such a powerful object lie around, when Leon made her pause in her movement. She looked towards him, questioning.

"I strongly advise against _you_ touching _that_ ever again. I mean, you could blow us up at any possible moment without leaving a trace."

She rolled her eyes at his dramatic behaviour and picked it up anyway. "If you don't watch yourself I'll blow you up, _Leon_." It was sarcasm, and Leon dropped the act and the subject.

When everyone was standing on their feet and gathered around, Alvar made known that they had to visit the mansion. No one protested against the idea, only Sam didn't go with them, for he had to order things around here. He had to see who survived the revolution, who didn't and try to straighten this mess out.

It was the longest walk she'd ever taken. They came across even more bodies, ransacked houses, destroyed houses and even houses that were still on fire. But the fighting had stopped. And the revolution had been won, even though nobody felt like a winner.

When the mansion came into view, what was left of it, Vitoria felt her heart sink even deeper. It was unrecognizable. It had been left as a pile of wood stones and rubble. Some walls were still up, but it looked like an old ruin. A lot of smoke was still coming from it.

Elene and Renoz stood in front of it, holding each other. As soon as Dryas saw his sister, he ran towards her to embrace her firmly. Tears were shed. Lazar hobbled over as well, hugging her tightly and with a lot of affection. When Elene's puffy eyes met Vitoria's questioning gaze, she just shook her head.

No words were spoken. No words would have made it any easier.

Vitoria buried her face in Alvar's shoulder, knowing that Sophia had perished. But there were no tears. There had been so many deaths; there weren't any tears left to shed.

"We'll have to start anew. From scratch. But we will be alright. We will be alright." Alvar kissed her forehead and she gazed in his golden eyes. And she believed him. Her eyes were drawn to movement beside them and when Vitoria saw Renoz standing beside her, crying, she wrapped her arms around the boy.

"We will be alright, Renoz," she repeated Alvar's words. "We will be fine."


	33. Epilogue

**SIX YEARS LATER**

* * *

A tiny, cheerful laugh made Vitoria's eyes glimmer lovingly as she turned her head towards the source of the sound. A dark-haired toddler was sitting in the grass with a wide grin plastered onto its face, looking at the ladybug that had landed on the toddler's arm.

"You've made a friend, Darion," she smiled as she looked at the domed-back beetle. Darion erupted in a fit of giggles when the ladybug started moving around. It eventually caused the ladybug to fly away, but that didn't discourage Darion. He was already fascinated with something else in the grass.

Vitoria smiled brightly as she picked up another robe she'd washed and hung it out to dry. She was almost done when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"What in the name of Zeus are you doing?" Leon approached the two hastily. He had just passed the new training ground where old and new Assassins were currently bettering their skills. "If Alvar saw you doing this in your current state, he'd kill me. Hell, he'd kill Dryas and Lazar as well." He helped her sit down on the tree trunk they had deliberately placed there for Vitoria to sit down quietly when she was out with Darion.

"Language," she scowled, "And what do you mean with _current state_? I'm pregnant, not dying." She rolled her eyes at him and watched as he took over. Although she couldn't but feel grateful.

"Lazar!" Darion cried out happily and reached out for the Assassin. Vitoria giggled as she saw Leon's features darkening.

"It's Leon. LE-ON. Please, call me Leon. Just once," Leon pleaded as he squatted down beside Darion, making funny faces which received him a lot of giggles.

"So what have you been up to?" she asked. Taking care of Darion was a full-time job and she didn't watch the training grounds as much as she used to. Her eyes flicked back to Leon, whose face now was being touched by Darion. The toddler even pinched the Assassin's cheek, while Leon made 'ow' noises.

"Well, I just got back from training Renoz, actually. He's a good kid. Good heart."

Vitoria lowered her gaze, although she was still smiling. "Just like his sister." A comfortable silence fell between the two, while Darion was occupying himself with pulling out grass. It had been a tough six years. They had to rebuilt the mansion with the Assassins that were left. Sam and a handful of other politicians decided to abolish the monarchy and instead establish a Greece that was ruled by the people. A democracy. The bloodshed from six years ago hadn't been forgotten, and it also had been for nothing. There was peace.

The mansion was a little different from the previous one. It was bigger. The training grounds were completer and there were now two separate buildings, apart from the mansion, that contained Assassin's chambers. There was a graveyard as well where fallen Assassins, and friends, could be honoured. Thane, Adonai, Ion and Sophia lay there. Dryas, Lazar and Leon were promoted to Master Assassins, and Alvar had become the Mentor. The title made him feel old, though.

Lazar had become good friends with all, and was extremely liked by Darion for some reason. Past vendettas were solved, and although Dryas was able to lose his temper once in a while, it never escalated to something big. Elene and Lazar were happy. They wanted to travel, but stayed so that Elene was able to help Vitoria with Darion and her pregnancy.

Zeus' sword was gone, buried somewhere. Alvar was the only one who knew the exact location.

"Daddy!" Darion's voice shook her out of her thoughts and she couldn't but smile at the sight of Alvar. His wounds from the revolution had healed wonderfully, except for the lightning-wound. It had left a scar and sometimes, even after all these years, it hurt. But he never said a word about it.

Darion scrambled onto his feet and walked, unsteadily mind you, towards his father. He fell, but Alvar managed to grab him before he hit the ground and lifted him in the air. The toddler threw his little arms around his father's neck and hugged him, while Alvar walked over to Vitoria, who was just standing up.

"You don't have to stand up for me," he commented dryly.

"Oh, I really do." Vitoria gave him a kiss on his cheek, then kissed Darion.

Leon had been watching all this and decided to speak up: "Well, I know a happy family when I see one. I'll take my leave." Leon was already halfway towards the mansion when Vitoria called out after him. He turned around slightly, giving the obviously pregnant woman a questioning glance.

"You know you're part of that family, right?" She smiled and watched as Leon rolled his eyes at the saccharine comment, but appreciated it nonetheless. Silently, of course. These men would never do something that would make them appear less of a man.

"Having a break?" Vitoria cocked her head at him. He was a busy man.

Alvar curved his lips slightly. "Yes, a small break. But I hear Elene has made some sandwiches. You're hungry?"

She smiled and nodded. "I can eat for two, you know." Alvar shook his head at the terrible joke, but snickered nonetheless.

With Darion resting on one arm, and Vitoria beside him, they walked back towards the mansion together to enjoy a nice meal as a family.

* * *

**Sooo, tadaa, the end. I hope you enjoyed the story! :} **

**Thank you all for the reviews/follows/favorites and of course the silent readers. Thank you too. Y'all amazing. **

**Peace out. **


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